The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), who have long been critics of the Decision Review System (DRS), have finally decided to adopt the system for the upcoming Test series between India and England.
The BCCI, in a statement released on their website, mentioned that this will be a trial and they will assess the system over a period of time before making a permanent call.
India have only ever been involved in two Test series where DRS has been used – against Sri Lanka in 2008 and against England in 2011. Both were during away tours, so this will be the first time that DRS will be used in a Test series in India.
The Men in Blue have been using the system at ICC tournaments where it is mandatory.
If @anilkumble1074 with his sharp engineering mind thinks ultra-motion cameras make the predictive path in DRS accurate enough, that's fine
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 21, 2016
The decision is rumoured to be made after suggestions from Test captain Virat Kohli, who unlike his predecessor MS Dhoni, is said to be a fan of the system. The recent India vs New Zealand series saw some contentious decisions and may have pushed the BCCI rethink along.
“We are happy to note that Hawkeye has institutionalised all the recommendations made by BCCI,” said BCCI president Anurag Thakur.
“We confirm that this improved version of DRS will be used on a trial basis during the forthcoming series against England and based on the performance of the system and the feedback that we will receive, further continuation in forthcoming series will be decided.
“We recognise the enhanced role of technology in sport and BCCI will lead such initiatives in coming days, and enrich the viewer experience.”
India and England face off in a five-match Test series with the first Test scheduled for Rajkot on November 9, 2016.
