India vs England: How DRS made an impact in Test series, possible use in ODIs

It is done and dusted. India came up with a clinical performance in the five-Test series against England, dishing out a 4-0 drubbing. The Anthony de Mello Trophy 2016-17 was claimed without a fuss. Virat Kohli got runs. Ravichandran Ashwin got wickets. Two debutants announced themselves on the international circuit. The Indian fast bowlers comfortably outdid their English counterparts. However, one of the talking points in the series, apart from the Indian performance, is the use of Decision Review System (DRS). DRS was used for the third time in any series featuring India, and for the first time in the country.

India have rarely been keen on the DRS. They had felt that the technologies used in the DRS were not 100% foolproof. This was also one of the reasons why ICC could not implement DRS around the world. Nevertheless, ICC came up with an improved version of the technology, and BCCI were given a presentation of the improved version. BCCI were impressed with the new version and as decided to go ahead and use the DRS for the first time at home.

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FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs England, 1st ODI at Pune

The basic technologies used in the DRS are the ball-tracking technology (Hawkeye), Real-time Snicko (RTS) or Ultra-Edge and Infrared thermal imaging (Hotspot). Until now, BCCI had a long stance against Hawkeye, since they believed the ball-tracker was not accurate enough when it tracked the ball after the impact on the pads. However, the technology has undergone a significant change in the recent past, which convinced BCCI sufficiently to use it in the Test series against England.

India were also happy with the use of Ultra-Edge, an advanced version of the RTS. Ultra-Edge is also one of the most expensive technologies to be used in cricket till date. The advantage of Ultra-Edge lies in its intelligent censors; not only do they detect the faintest edge of the ball on either bat or pad, but they also distinguishes between the impacts made by bat and pad. However, India were unable to use the Hotspot in the series owing to logistical issues, as the high-end infrared cameras require special permission from the Indian as well as the Australian Governments, since they are high-end tools used for military purposes. Nevertheless, India qualified with the basic requirements to have DRS in place, as the series began.

India vs England: DRS — all you need to know about

Although India just had 1 success off the 4 reviews in the opening Test at Rajkot, which was a draw nevertheless, the rest of the series saw them pull off numerous successes with the DRS. The second Test at Vishakhapatnam saw India getting 3 successful reviews out of the 9 they used; they also went on to win the tie by 246 runs. At Mohali got 2 out of 6; they won the Test by 8 wickets. At Mumbai India got 2 out of 8 correct and won by innings. And at Chennai, they got 2 out of 9, and won by an innings yet again.

The success of DRS was overshadowed by India’s triumphant performance, but it was a brave and smart call from BCCI. It came to India’s rescue on numerous occasions, and playing at home turned out to be fruitful for the Indians, as they found it more convenient to use DRS.

IND vs ENG 2nd Test: How DRS made the contest interesting

Although the success factor for DRS was not much considering the number of reviews used by the Indians, but it was still better than nothing; having said that, numerous close decisions went in favour of India. One of the notable decisions came during the second Test at Vizag, where Ravindra Jadeja got Moeen Ali cheaply. Virat Kohli was reluctant to use it, but with time running out, Kohli went for it at the last moment after some persuasion from Jadeja. It turned out to be one of the most vital calls in the series.

For a side not used to the technology, India managed to do pretty well in the series with DRS. And as for the debate if India should continue using the DRS in the upcoming ODI series as well, there is hardly any reason that may prevent BCCI from using DRS. Although the unavailability of Hotspot will not make decision-making perfect (there were quite a few calls that were inconclusive without Hotspot), the technology will definitely make decisions more accurate.

It is fair to say that DRS has been a success for India in the Test series, and will definitely be a fair call on BCCI’s part to reinstate it for the ODIs as well. Though the series will be played without Hotspot, the technology is most likely to be available for the Test series against Australia in February.

The debate still continues on the Umpires Calls, where a slight advantage is kept in the favour of the umpires for extremely close calls. However, Kohli has commented in favour of Umpires Calls, which will certainly help its case. As far as the reliability is concerned, it has been fairly impressive, and the players have generally been happy. However, there is still a controversy regarding the 250 cm and 40 cm (respectively) of the impact between the point of impact of the ball on the pad and the stumps, and also the point of impact of the ball on the pitch and the pads, respectively (DRS Law 3.3i).

DRS is still work under progress. ICC still needs to do serious work on it. However, going by the current scenario, there should be no doubt for the DRS will be reinstated by BCCI for the upcoming ODI series vs England starting January 15.