Published: Jul 04, 2012, 11:26 AM (IST)
Edited: Sep 04, 2014, 09:44 PM (IST)
Sachin Tendulkar (R), who has opposed the use of DRS in cricket, has told his son Arjun, who will be appearing for his board exams in a year, not to study the new subject for the exams â even if it means to forgo the entire academic year!
By Amrut Thobbi
Please note: This is a humorous piece – pure fiction.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) might not have succeeded in convincing the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to accept the controversial Decision Review System (DRS) but it seems the country’s Human Resources Development (HRD), impressed by the system’s challenging nature, has decided to make it a compulsory subject in all the primary schools across the country!
Addressing the media, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal explained the government move. He said, “The HRD has decided to include the DRS as a compulsory subject for the 10th standard. We think the time has come we upgrade the Indian education system. The best way to go about, I thought, was to make the portions challenging to replace the existing banal and outdated syllabus.”
The move would mean that the board exams could feature mindboggling questions related to the DRS like:
While reviewing a not out decision for leg-before wicket, if the action replay shows that the ball would have hit the stumps within the demarcated area (as shown in the figure in this question paper) but that the point of impact is greater than 275 cm from the stumps and that the distance between the point of pitching and point of impact is less than 20cm, what decision the on-field umpire will give after consulting with the third umpire?
The ministry hopes the tough level of questions will help students develop a strong IQ.
When asked about the BCCI’s reluctance to embrace the DRS, Sibal replied, “Well, one can understand, given the complicated nature of the DRS, the BCCI obviously feels the Indian cricketers wouldn’t be able to comprehend it – hence the reluctance. Some of the students may not excel academically, but it’s quite possible that they could go on to become cricketers!”
A nationwide survey of students was conducted to ascertain their views on the prospects of facing such tough questions. The response was mixed response. Swaminathan Iyer, a bright student from St. Joseph’s convent in Mumbai, was happy at the inclusion of DRS in the syllabus. “Well, I wish they had included the Duckwoth-Lewis System as well. It sounds as challenging to me,” Swaminathan opined.
His friend Pappu appeared confident about the new syllabus! He said, “Swaminathan will help me anyways in the exams…err I mean to prepare for the exam.”
Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar who has been at the forefront in questioning the controversial system is not too happy with the HRD’s move. He has strictly informed his son Arjun, who will be appearing for his board exams in a year, not to study the new subject for the exams – even if it means to forego the entire academic year!
Despite the criticism, Sibal is confident that the new syllabus will work well. He also plans to introduce it in the secondary education as well in top institutes like IIT and IIMs in the near future.
When asked whether the new system would prove to be too punishing on young minds, he retorted with a famous Indian phrase, “Chadi lage cham cham, vidya aye gam gam.”
Sibal added, “Wait for a year or two and then see the results few years. The success percentage of DRS will be higher in education than its in cricket!”
(Amrut Thobbi, an engineering graduate now pursuing Masters in journalism, is an ardent cricket fan who likes to write spoofs, like the one above. His passion for writing inspired him to give up a sales and marketing job, which he does not regret. By writing on cricket, he wants to relive his dream of becoming a cricketer. He has also worked as a freelance writer in education and technology sectors)
