Rahul Dravid becomes a victim of hopeless DRS technology, once again

In almost every sector, technology has made lives easier for people, but surely not in cricket. And especially when India and England are playing each other, technology has been the bane, the source of all controversies; and the latest incident in the 1st ODI between England and India has just reaffirmed that.

Dravid scored 2 and was given out caught behind in a controversial decision

The latest victim of the DRS technology in cricket is, once again, Rahul Dravid. Dravid seemed to edge a ball by Stuart Broad and was caught behind by England’s wicket keeper Kieswetter. There was a big appeal by England once they thought Dravid had edged it, but the appeal was turned down by umpire Doctrove. This prompted Stuart Broad to ask for a DRS review. Despite the snickometer showing there might have been an edge, it is Hotspot which is used in DRS and not the snickometer. Given that is the case, one cannot fathom how the third umpire could have overruled the Hotspot, which showed nothing, and ruled Dravid out.

This has produced a fresh controversy, prompting debate about the proper use of technology in cricket. To me, if an umpire is given the directive of making a decision by using a particular technology, he should stick to it fully and not overrule it. While the Hotspot cannot be termed a foolproof technology, thus making a case for the third umpire’s decision in this case, neither the Snickometer, whose result will be called into action during the post match debate, is 100 percent right!

The ICC should take a hard look at this matter and make a strong stand on the use of decision review technology in cricket. If the governing body wants to use technology, it should be put to use fully, else technology should be dispensed with completely.

Edited by Zico