R Ashwin praised the BCCI's decision to implement the Decision Review System (DRS) at the domestic level, saying it would help batters improve their techniques.
The Duleep Trophy 2024 has the DRS available for matches at both venues – Bengaluru and Anantapur. While referring to a review taken in the India C vs India D match in Anantapur, Ashwin praised the BCCI's decision to have the system in place.
Ashwin: DRS in domestic cricket not just for right decisions
On X (formerly Twitter), Ashwin wrote: "DRS for domestic cricket is not just for the right decisions to be made. Ricky Bhuvi (Bhui)’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 (first-class) cricket.
"He could very well take an entire test series to understand what he needs to work on and his career could well be over. This is a fab experience for more than just one reason."
DRS for domestic cricket is not just for the right decisions to be made.
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) September 7, 2024
Ricky Bhuvi’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… pic.twitter.com/Ip2BXHgJBe
Ashwin was referring to Bhui's technnique of keeping his bat behind his pad when playing the front foot defence. In the pre-DRS era, umpires tended to give batters not out if they were struck on the pad while stretching forward, with the logic that the ball was likely to go over the stumps from that far out.
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But now, with bowlers being able to challenge such decisions, umpires can be proven wrong with the use of technology and thus batters will need to get their bat out in front of the pad to avoid being hit, even while going forward.
Ashwin pointed out that this would help a player with such a technique score runs at the domestic level as they would not be given out in such situations, but could be given out in international cricket. Having to rectify their technique at that point might be too late, as it could take an entire series for them to identify the issue. With the implementation of DRS in domestic cricket, these flaws can be caught quicker and ironed out.
Is there DRS in Indian domestic cricket?
India were one of the latest adopters of the DRS when it first arrived in international cricket. Despite Ashwin's praises for the BCCI, the system has yet to be implemented throughout the domestic circuit. It was introduced in the Ranji Trophy semi-final and final for the 2019-20 season, but did not have the ball-tracking or UltraEdge technology.
In 2022-23, the full version of DRS came in, but only for the Ranji Trophy final. The most recent season, 2023-24, had full DRS available for the final, and the Mumbai vs Tamil Nadu semi-final which was broadcast. The other semi-final, Vidarbha vs Madhya Pradesh, did not have any form of DRS available.
Image credit: JioCinema
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