DRS Distraction: What's your view?

India let slip the game amid DRS controversy in Cape Town: Dean Elger

Proteas captain Dean Elger suggested in the press conference that the DRS controversy allowed them to take on the Indian bowlers and chip away with the target as they were preoccupied with the decision being overturned.

The DRS Controversy

In the third and series-deciding Test match between India and South Africa at Cape Town, a controversy arose about the decision being overturned. Chasing a total of 212, the hosts were 60/1 in the twenty-first over. The Proteas captain Dean Elger – batting on 22 then, – was trapped in front by the senior Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. The umpire Marais Erasmus declared him out on the field. Proteas captain demanded a review and Hawkeye trajectory showed that the ball was bouncing over the stumps. Notably, many on-field people – including umpire Marais Erasmus – were in disbelief with the decision overturned. This particular decision led to a controversy.

Read More: Indian Cricket in 2022

On-Field Reactions post Incident

Post the incident, some Indian players were chirping a few sentences in the stump mic. The visiting team captain Virat Kohli bent towards the stump mic and said

“Focus on your team as well while they shine the ball ahh not just the opposition trying to catch the people all the time”.

Surprisingly, otherwise calm Vice-Captain Kl Rahul expressed his views too:

” Whole country playing against eleven guys”.

Ravichandran Ashwin also came up with a few words

“You gotta find better ways to win at Supersport”.

After the match, Dean Elger suggested that Indian players may have gotten carried away with the overturned decision. Subsequently, they seemed to lose concentration for a while. This was the moment when South Africa thought that they can have a go at the target.

It can be clearly seen that Indian players were distracted by the incident. If we have a look into the overs bowled after the incident, runs came quickly for South Africa as they grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

Views over DRS Controversy

First thing first, DRS is still an umpire’s decision. So, there has to only be one view: the decision is a final one. Understandably, the decision was aided by technology, but it has been known that the technological system has its own limitations. Subsequently, you may end up on either side of the system in a DRS decision. As a player or as a team, one shall accept it and move on. Even if you want to express your views, there is a separate system in place, and use it effectively.

Was it a right gesture from the Indian players? Well, we are not the best judge to say whether that was right, or wrong for that matter. However, we do agree with what Dean Elgar had to say. When you focus too much on the external parameters, you start losing focus on the game.

A few Indian players did look distracted by DRS, and that may well have played in South Africa’s hands. It probably gave that a window to South Africa to sneak in and grab the momentum. That’s exactly what they did to seal the game in their favor.

What do you think?

What are your thoughts over the DRS controversy last week in the test match between South Africa and India? Do share your views in the comments section, or write us at our Twitter and Instagram handle. Do share our page with other cricket enthusiasts. You can also write to me directly at my Twitter handle Luqman Tariq.