New Delhi: India ended its long-standing opposition yesterday to cricket’s Decision Review System (DRS), announcing it would be included on a trial basis in next month’s Test series against England.
The Indian cricket board’s president Anurag Thakur said that its major concerns had been addressed by upgrades to the system which has been used by other Test-playing countries for the best part of a decade.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will deploy the DRS “in toto in the forthcoming series between India and England... on a trial basis to evaluate the improvements made to the system over a period of time,” Thakur said in a statement.
According to the BCCI, the significant changes to the system include the introduction of high-speed ultramotion cameras for predicting the path of the ball and Ultra Edge which will help in determining the frame of impact.
India has been suspicious of the DRS since making a number of unsuccessful referrals during the 2008 Test series with Sri Lanka.
The DRS uses ball-tracking, high-audio technology known as snicko and ‘hotspot’ thermal to verify umpires’ decisions. It was made optional, rather than compulsory, at India’s insistence but most other cricketing nations including England and Australia have supported the system.
The first Test between India and England will be played in Rajkot from November 9.