The Indian cricket board's move to scuttle the decision review system cast a controversial pall over the Boxing Day Test against Australia, newspapers said on Tuesday.
Australia appeared well placed at 205 for three against India but lost two wickets in as many balls and a third three overs later with replays showing that debutant opener Ed Cowan and senior batsman Mike Hussey were not out.
The Australian press coverage of Monday's opening day's play was dominated by reaction to the Board of Control for Cricket in India's decision not to use the review system in the four-Test Australia series.
The Daily Telegraph said Cowan was robbed when given out caught behind for 68, while “India's stone-age attitude to technology may have also cost Hussey his career.”
The Sydney Morning Herald said India's “stubborn rejection” of state-of-the-art decision review technology took just hours to cause a storm in Australia with the controversial Cowan and Hussey dismissals in Melbourne.
“There was trepidation before this Test series about the potential for umpires to be embarrassed by (Channel) Nine's use of their ball-tracking and Hot Spot devices in its coverage after India once again refused a Decision Review System (DRS) despite the pleas of Cricket Australia,” the Herald said.
“Those predictions proved spot on, unlike the disputed pair of decisions from umpires Marais Erasmus and Ian Gould.”
The Australian said the BCCI would not agree to the use of the review system in Australia and forced the International Cricket Council (ICC0 to back down from its expressed desire to have it used in all series.
“The review system was introduced to eliminate howlers, but players have subtly changed its purpose by demanding it measure the sub-atomic,” it said.
“Still, the ICC boasts it has improved the accuracy of umpires' decisions and it has statistics to support the argument.”
Use it everywhere
Former Australia Test captain and one-time India coach Greg Chappell said cricket must embrace technology after the Boxing Day howlers.
“If you are going to use it then you have got to use it everywhere,” Chappell told Fox Sports.
“I can understand why some of the India batsmen don't want to use the DRS. I think as a batsman you are more likely to get the close decisions to go your way (without DRS).
“If you have the review system, chances are you will be given out more likely than not. We saw today why we probably need the review system.”
Chappell agreed that India's powerful position in world cricket played a part in the ICC not demanding they play with the DRS.
“You have got to think there's politics there in some way, shape or form,” Chappell said.
“The fact that they are so powerful they (ICC) pretty much can make the decisions that suit them best.”
The Daily Telegraph said “India's unfathomable opposition to the DRS, embraced by every other Test nation, continues to make a mockery of international cricket.”
Subtle shot
Ricky Ponting joined his team-mates in questioning why the DRS is not being used in the Test series against India, saying that the DRS should be used uniformly in every series throughout the world.
Ponting fired a subtle shot at the Indian Cricket Board on its refusal to use the controversial technology.
“I thought that was the way it was when it first came in, that it was compulsory in every series we played, but apparently not,” Ponting said.
“It's just this one series against India it keeps popping up we are not using this system. As players you want uniformity around the world and you want consistency in the technology ... that's all we are after,” he told ABC radio.
Ponting has been under fire for some time with calls for retirement following his prolonged slump in form, but after his aggressive 62 in Australia's first innings on the opening day, he vowed to fight on, saying he still has hunger and desire to succeed.
“I have always been a big believer that age in this game doesn't mean much. I still have the hunger and desire and I am working as hard as I ever have,” said Ponting, who turned 37 last week.
He said like any other cricketer he took inspiration from players older than him, such as Sachin Tendulkar.
“I think they should inspire everyone,” he said.
Ponting, though, was disappointed not to convert another half-century into a hundred.
“It was disappointing not to go on to get a big score. That's three of the last five innings I passed 50 that is the game: it happens. My balance was a whole lot better,” he said.
