4 min readJan 14, 2022 12:53 PM IST
First published on: Jan 14, 2022 at 12:13 PM IST
After South African captain Dean Elgar survived an LBW decision on Day 3 of the third Test in Cape Town, members of the Indian team vented their ire on field. Meanwhile, cricket experts and former players drew comparisons of the incident to a similar one in 2011 World Cup involving Sachin Tendulkar.
During the fourth delivery of the 21st over of the Proteas’ innings, Ravichandran Ashwin trapped Elgar with a ball that kept straight. Umpire Marais Erasmus raised his finger but Elgar opted for Decision Review System (DRS). Replays showed the ball pitched in line and hit Elgar in the middle. However, quite mysteriously the trajectory of the ball showed that it was going over the leg-stump.
Similarly, during a WC match between India and Pakistan in Mohali, former Indian cricketer Tendulkar was given out after being hit on the pads by Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal but the DRS overturned the umpire’s lbw ruling.
Recalling the incident, retired Ajmal said, “I have seen Dean Elgar’s review many times. Seeing him, no one can say that the ball is going over the stump. It is clear that the ball is hitting his knees and he is out. But why is Team India raising questions? In the 2011 World Cup, when Sachin Tendulkar’s decision on my ball was reversed, then India had said that DRS is a reliable and accurate technique. Then why are they now saying that DRS technology is not reliable and correct. Simply because the verdict went against you.”
“There was no point in not giving Sachin Tendulkar out even on my ball in the 2011 World Cup. In 2011, my ball was not missing the stump in the same way as Ashwin was not doing against Elgar in Cape Town,” he added.
Meanwhile, cricket expert Akash Chopra also drew comparisons to the 2011 incident and said on Star Sports, “Two things here. I remember this was 2011, India vs Pakistan, semi-final game at Mohali. Saeed Ajmal is bowling, Sachin Tendulkar is batting, Ian Gould is the umpire. He gives him out. All of us thought he is dead and plumb in front.
“Then the DRS, the ball-tracking technology at that point in time somehow showed that the ball is missing the stumps. Not even kissing it. We all thought it was a miracle. Did we actually complain as much at that point in time? No, we did not,” Chopra said.
“We took it in the stride because it went out. Now, this is something of course in the heat of the moment you are agitated,” he stated. You are frustrated because even while looking at the screen, I was bewildered how did it actually miss because it looked like it was crashing onto the stumps,” Chopra added.
The Indian team expressed their anger at the decision on Thursday. Ravi Ashwin said: “You should find better ways to win Supersport.” An angry Kohli kicked the ground in disgust and then used the stump microphone to good effect and said: “Focus on your team as well when they shine the ball, eh! Not just the opposition. Trying to catch people all the time.”
Elgar, during the deciding Test of the three-match series that stands at 1-1, later got out to Jasprit Bumrah. With two days remaining in the last Test, South Africa need 111 runs to win with eight wickets in hand.
Dean Elgar’s DRS gaffe reminded the cricket fraternity of Sachin Tendulkar’s controversy in 2011 World Cup 
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