Limited DRS feedback has been heartening, states Saba Karim
BCCI GM Cricket Operations Saba Karim has said that the feedback on limited-DRS from players and coaches have been 'heartening'. The teams were given four referrals per innings, however, the technology didn’t have Hawk-Eye and Ultra Edge-two key components of the DRS used in international games.
BCCI GM Cricket Operations Saba Karim has said that limited DRS was able to serve its purpose and the players and the match officials were happy with its introduction. Many could say the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy season saw many firsts. It not only saw Saurashtra clinching the trophy for the first time in the history of India's premier domestic competition but also saw the maiden usage of Decision Review System (DRS) -- though in limited format -- in the Ranji Trophy. According to Karim, they were able to eliminate a lot of umpiring mistakes which were witnessed in the knockout stages of the last Ranji season, something which pleased him a lot.
“I am very happy to see the results of the limited DRS. I interacted with the players, the coaches and the match officials. The idea was to prepare them as and when the matches are played with full DRS, they are able to understand that and use it accordingly. We were able to eliminate a lot of howlers which we had noticed in the last season of the Ranji Trophy knockouts,” said Karim as quoted by Hindustan Times.
In a first, the Decision Review System (DRS) will be implemented in the Ranji Trophy when Saurashtra take on Gujarat in the semifinal of the premier domestic competition. The teams were given four referrals per innings but the technology didn’t have Hawk-Eye and Ultra Edge, two key components of the DRS used in international games. When asked about the response from the players and the match officials regarding limited DRS, Karim said the “overall feedback was heartening”.
“Largely, the players and the match officials were very happy. Since it was a limited DRS, it was explained to the players and the match officials how to use, the number and the kind of decisions to be referred to the third umpire. There were obviously a few misgivings about the decisions. But the overall feedback we received from the players and the coaches was heartening."
Karim, who represented India in one Test and 34 ODIs, also expressed his opinion on the debate between the four-day and five-day Test matches. Karim further said that as of now, they have not made any decision with regard to continuing with the usage of DRS in Ranji Trophy.
“There is a constant exchange with the players and the match officials as to how to take it forward. And now as the season is over, we will have a brainstorming session before the next season starts and see how to take it forward,” he said. You possibly cannot have it in the entire tournament because all the matches are not televised. It’s only the semi-finals and the finals which are televised. That’s one issue and it’s for that reason in order to bring uniformity, we cannot have DRS in the entire tournament,” he added.
Going back to the final, Saurashtra clinched their maiden Ranji Trophy title after beating Bengal in a high-voltage final. This was the fourth final for Saurashtra in eight seasons. Bengal were steering towards victory but bundled out on 381 on Day 5. Although the match was eventually drawn, Saurashtra won on the basis of first innings lead. Skipper Jaydev Unadkat was the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 67 scalps.