Sachin Tendulkar recently conducted an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on social media site Reddit, where the cricket icon also revealed one rule he would like to change in cricket.
Tendulkar voiced his concerns about the Umpire's Call within the DRS, calling for its abolition. He argued that players challenge decisions due to dissatisfaction with the on-field umpire's ruling, so reverting to that original call defeats the purpose of the review system.
“I would change the DRS rule on Umpire’s call. Players have chosen to go upstairs because they were unhappy with the on-field umpire’s call. Hence there should be no option to go back to that call. Just like how players have bad patches, umpires too have bad patches. Technology even when inaccurate will be consistently inaccurate,” Tendulkar said.
This isn’t the first time Sachin Tendulkar has advocated that the umpire’s call should be scrapped. In 2020, the batting legend called the concept flawed, saying that if the ball is hitting the stumps, even marginally, it should be declared out.
“One thing I don’t agree with, with the ICC, is the DRS they’ve been using for quite some time. It is the LBW decision where more than 50% of the ball must be hitting the stumps for the on-field decision to be overturned. The only reason they (the batsman or the bowler) have gone upstairs is because they are unhappy with the on-field decision, so when the decision goes to the third umpire, let the technology take over; just like in Tennis – it’s either in or out, there’s nothing in between,” Tendulkar had said in a video chat with West Indies legend Brian Lara.
The Umpire's call comes into picture after the team decides to challenge the on-field verdict. It gives the benefit of the doubt to the on-field decision taken by the umpire in a scenario where there is inconclusive technological evidence.
During an LBW decision, regardless of the call, the DRS shows the possible trajectory of the ball. If between one per cent and 50 per cent of the ball is hitting the stumps, excluding the bails, and half the ball is out, the original decision by the umpire upholds.
