Ravichandran Ashwin advocates for DRS in domestic cricket: Here's why
Veteran Indian spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, has expressed his support for the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) decision to implement the Decision Review System (DRS) in the ongoing 2024 Duleep Trophy. He believes that this move will assist emerging batters in making necessary technical adjustments before stepping into international cricket. The discussion was sparked by a leg-before-wicket dismissal during a recent Duleep Trophy match. Here's more.
Ashwin cites Bhui's dismissal as example
Ashwin used the dismissal of India D's Ricky Bhui by India C's Manav Suthar in the Anantapur leg of the Duleep Trophy, as an example to support his argument. Despite a confident start with 44 runs, Bhui was declared out after a defensive stroke led to an LBW appeal. The initial decision by the on-field umpire was overturned using DRS, highlighting its potential impact on domestic cricket.
Ashwin highlights DRS's role in refining techniques
Ashwin emphasized that DRS's role extends beyond ensuring correct decisions in domestic cricket. "DRS for domestic cricket is not just for the right decisions to be made. Ricky's dismissal last evening against Manav Suthar is a classic case of a batter who will get away with this technique 10/10 times in FC cricket. This was not a faulty technique pre DRS but now it is," wrote Ashwin in his X account.
Ashwin warns about potential career risks
The seasoned spinner warned about the potential risks associated with certain batting techniques in the era of DRS. He suggested that a player could struggle to adapt their style of play at the international level without prior experience with DRS. "He could very well take an entire Test series to understand what he needs to work on and his career could well be over," Ashwin cautioned.
DRS's journey in domestic cricket
The BCCI first introduced DRS in the domestic circuit during the 2019-20 season. However, it was not fully implemented in all matches. Initially, the system lacked ball-tracking or UltraEdge technology. However, these features were added later and a full version of DRS was made available for the final of the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy. The complete version is now being used in ongoing Duleep Trophy matches.
