Not too long ago, ‘˜Master Blaster’ and the rest of the Indian team were left red-faced by the use of technology when it backfired against them in the series against Sri Lanka in 2008.
Not too long ago, ‘Master Blaster’ and the rest of the Indian team were left red-faced by the use of technology when it backfired against them in the series against Sri Lanka in 2008.
Sachin Tendulkar was against the usage of DRS (Decision Review System), saying he was not fully convinced with the controversial referral system. Sachin was more in favour of the ‘Hot-Spot’ technology which is an infra-red imaging system used in cricket to determine whether the ball has struck the batsman, bat or pad.
In a statement he said, “I am not fully convinced with the referral system (DRS). When I was here last time I was not convinced with many decisions. I did not feel comfortable, it was an experiment which I felt….”
But during the 2011 World Cup semi-final, at a crunch period, Sachin saw the good side of it.
Tendulkar, was on 23 in the 11th over of the Indian innings, when he was declared out leg before to Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal by umpire Ian Gould. The Little Master quickly denoted the DRS signal which showed the ball would have missed the leg stump after striking his pad.
Even as the BCCI and MS Dhoni remain opposed over the use of DRS in series and major tourneys, Sachin’s recent statement over the use of technology could make their eyes roll. In England for the launch of his autobiography, ‘Playing It My Way’, Sachin Tendulkar says he supports the use of technology in international cricket as long as a uniform referral system is implemented across the world.
The Mumbai-born said that in the past that he supported the referral system as long as both Hot Spot and Snickometer were used in tandem. But even as the likes of FIFA and other major sports leagues implement the use of technology; the opposition from the World Champions comes as a worry. But Tendulkar was of the opinion that if the technology could be “standardised” its implementation.
Talking to the press on Friday he said, “I don’t know right now what BCCI’s stance is. From an individual point of view I can definitely say that we can’t have bits and pieces in different, different parts of the world. One part of the world is using Snickometer. The other part of the world is Hot Spot. Somewhere else we are using something else. It’s got to be standardised.”
Tendulkar stressed on the fact that the technology required consistency. “Why should we settle for only 50% result? Why not get as close to 100%? It is impossible to get 100% right. There will be some errors here and there. It really does not matter if Zimbawe and Bangladesh are playing or England and Australia are playing. An international match is an international match. It is unfair on lesser teams who do not have the full package. We can definitely use technology as long as it is standardised.”
As Tendulkar states his ‘opinion’ on the DRS issue, it remains a debatable topic whether Team India or the BCCI adopt technology or not! From Wimbledon to the English Premier League; more and more players and fans are adhering to use technology in sport but what will it take to shake off the rear guard of Dhoni and the mighty BCCI?
