Saturday 19 July 2014
England v India, 2nd Investec Test, Lord's, 3rd day
After Liam Plunkett struck on consecutive deliveries to remove Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, India needed none other than Ajinkya Rahane to steady the ship. Rahane came out to bat with a first innings century on his back and looked good for the very first seven balls the Mumbai batsman faced, but then came the shocker.
A rising delivery from Stuart Broad ricocheted off Rahane’s right elbow and popped up in the air with wicketkeeper Matt Prior running and diving forward to complete the catch, England fielders appealed and soon bowler joined in. A dreaded finger of umpire Bruce Oxenford went up and Rahane had a dejected long walk back to the pavilion.
It gets cruel when a batsman in prime form and fresh from hundred gets his innings cut short by an umpiring error. Rahane was quick and natural to show his dissatisfaction behind the decision as he walked past umpire. This is not new, in fact in first innings of this Test match England batsman Joe Root and Indian all-rounder Stuart Binny too were at the receiving end. Going back to first test there were few goofed decisions also.
While most of the Test playing nations prefer and take assistance from technology to aid umpires and use the Umpire Decision Review System India have decided against it. BCCI has continuedits stance against the UDRS and it has actually hurt Team India on field, with verdicts going against them at crucial times, like the Rahane one.
It is part and parcel of the game and umpires after all are humans, so any rare error in judgement istolerable, but if there is a technology on offer and that too when you are the richest cricket board in the world rejecting it is no way the shrewdest of the decisions. BCCI believes that UDRS is not 100% accurate, but it would have needed no ground-breaking technology to call back Rahane if review would have been in place. It is indeed a time BCCI put on their thinking cap and say yes to UDRS, at least we won’t have more Rahane like dismissals, that is for sure.
