If M Vijay was more alert, Cheteshwar Pujara would have escaped being given lbw. It’s interesting times when the non-striker can play a very crucial part in how a lbw decision goes down the other end. After years of being unsatisfied with the DRS, India under Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble have chosen to get on board the technical wagon. They now find that they need to learn a few tricks of trade if they are to get this working well for the team. As a captain, Kohli is aware of what is needed of him in DRS situations. “Those are very small margins and you have to trust the wicketkeeper and the bowler. But at times, you need to understand the bowler might push you to take it in desperation and you need to understand it as captain.” It’s easier said than done as he found it in the Test. Sometimes, even wicketkeepers can make egregious mistakes and as a captain, when you are standing at short cover or midwicket, it can get even more difficult. At times, even fielding positions can create DRS mistakes as it can hinder the views of non-strikers who are supposed to help out, and sometimes, the non-striker can be cocooned in his own world and make mistakes in decision making. The Indian Express looks at few instances from the first Test match at Rajkot that involved DRS and how it played out. When Vijay failed Pujara It happened at a vital juncture. India were trying to draw the game, they generally don’t do bat-for-draws well, and only Pujara and Vijay had sparkled in the first innings. A lot was riding on the Pujara-Vijay partnership when Adil Rashid ripped one across. Pujara pressed back, tried to push it to the on side but was beaten by the turn and was hit on the pad right in front of the stumps. And so, when the umpire gave him out, Pujara trudged back to the pavilion, and India were soon in real trouble and needed their captain to pull them out of the hole. But replays showed that Rashid’s delivery had pitched outside the leg stump line, and if he had gone for the DRS, he would have survived. Here is where things get interesting. Often, the batsmen himself is unsure about where the ball lands. He is on the move, mind trying to cope from watching the hands of the bowler at release, then making a judgement call about the destination - whether it would come in, go out, or come on straight, and also decide on a suitable response. In all this hectic activity, he might miss some things: like the ball pitching outside leg. Here is where the non-striker can pitch in. According to Virat Kohli, it was even discussed in team meetings that the non-striker has to stand close to the stumps on the other end, and watch where the ball lands and where it hits the pads. And help out the batsman decide whether DRS should be taken, or it’s best left unwasted. It’s easier said than done. Vijay, as his wont, was walking here and there at the other end, and by the time Rashid released the ball, he was moving towards the stumps but had not got as close. From where he was standing, he couldn’t have made the proper call about where the ball pitched. The angle wasn’t great. What Kohli said: Kohli’s thoughts on the issue were very clear. "It’s very important for the non-striker to stay as close as possible to the stumps. From a little wider from the stumps, the line of the ball is never judged, you always feel like that the ball is straight but it’s actually pitching outside the line. So that’s what we spoke about, it’s important to stay close to the stumps, keep figuring out where it’s pitching, and be more aware to help out your partner. That might be an important thing in a Test match as in an important situation you might not take the DRS like with Pujara." Upsets batsmen’s rhythm: It might seem simple and straightforward but cricket rarely is. Some batsmen like to switch off at the other end, some like to stroll, and some like Vijay even run from almost the second pitch. It’s the way they focus, regroup, get ready for the next ball - every batsman has his own rhythm. The requirements of DRS might affect all that. It’s not to say that Vijay shouldn’t have been adjacent to the stumps but it’s not going to be always easy. You have to change the way you have gone about your batting for years now, and train yourself to be alert to small things even at the other end. It’s easy to do for a short period of time but at times in Tests, it can get difficult. Silly mid-on can change plans: Another factor is when the opposition post a silly mid-on fielder almost near the stumps and where the non-striker would have traditionally stood. That fielder forces the non-striker to go wider, and that would also affect these decisions. All in all, pretty interesting affairs. Can’t trust your eyes or ears When Alastair Cook wafted at a wide delivery from Umesh Yadav, it seemed a regular hit-and-miss affair. But Wriddhiman Saha, India’s wicketkeeper, was very interested. Yadav joined in on the appeal as an afterthought but Saha’s persistence meant an interested Kohli, who was at covers, went for the DRS. They must have heard some sound, was the thought that popped up when the replays began to cue up. The first replay itself showed an awning gap between bat and the ball, enough for Saha to squeeze through. It was all a touch puzzling. Kohli didn’t talk about this decision in particular but had talked about the need to be aware. "with DRS you can only do what it in our control, and that is to be precise and as aware as possible. Obviously you’re going to make mistakes, the umpire’s call and all that come into play as well. I think it’s a good thing, it just confirms the decision that has been made and it’s good for cricket overall." When Vijay saved Pujara He might have not been a great help in the second innings, but Vijay did his bit in the first innings. Pujara was on 86 when he was hit high on the back pad by Zafar Ansari. It helped that Pujara was himself sure that it was high, and when he walked across, Vijay agreed with his call. They went for DRS that corrected the umpire’s mistake, Pujara’s wife hopped and clapped in joy, his father and uncle were pleased as punch, and he went on to hit a hundred. England too blunder When Haseeb Hameed was given out lbw in the first innings, the teenager was ready to accept the decision but the non-striker Joe Root wasn’t. He told Hameed to review only for the replays to confirm the umpire’s decision that Ashwin’s delivery would have hit the off stump. “Yeah it was my fault,” Root said. It was the first DRS decision in Tests in India. Hameed too had made a mistake in the first innings when he told his captain Cook not to go for the DRS. The ball seemed to be missing the leg stump but Cook checked up with the non-striker Hameed. The teenager must have been in a tight spot on debut, and it would have been understandable if he had said ‘yes skipper you have to take it’. But Hameed seems to be made of sterner stuff than that. He told his captain to keep walking, and the replays later showed that it was a mistake.
