Across continents, one pattern is emerging. The Indian captains have been reluctant to adopt technology, espeically one they are not sure will yield results all the time.
The Sri Lankan captain, Kumar Sangakkara, is rather miffed that the Indian team has turned down the Umpire Decision Review System ( UDRS ) and says he was led to believe that the ICC has made it mandatory across all Tests. He now feels they should do so.
However, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian captain, has made it absolutely clear that unless a system is 99 per cent right, he wil not be signing up for it in a hurry.
Dr. Ali Bacher, former cricket administrator for South African cricket, claims that South Africa encountered similar problems when the TV umpire technology was available. He says it took a great deal of convincing for the then Indian captain, Mohammad Azharuddin, to say yes to use the technology that was used in the 1992 Test series between the two teams, with Sachin Tendulkar being the first cricketer to be given out by the system in the first Test in Durban.
Bacher states, “We had to convince the Indians to go along with the plan. My board and the South African side were all for it, but Mohammad Azharuddin, the Indian captain, and their team manager were a little wary of it.
“Clive Lloyd was the match referee for the series, so I asked him to have a chat with them. Let’s just say he ‘leaned’ on them a bit.”
Bacher spoke about it in relation to the need for technology in sport after the football controversies that erupted in the course of the FIFA World Cup 2010.
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