Legends lick technology

India played much the better cricket at Kingsmead and thoroughly deserved their series-levelling victory. For all the fine bowling and catching, the difference between the sides was the batting of VVS Laxman and it would have been a travesty of justice if he had not finished on the winning side.

Zaheer and Sreesanth were inspired with the ball, Harbhajan made smart use of the bounce on offer and Dhoni set clever fields. It was an inspirational fightback considering the humiliation of the innings defeat at Supersport Park in the first test.

The tourists were also helped on the final day by a couple of rotten umpiring decisions against AB de Villiers and Mark Boucher which the Proteas may believe were their undoing but, on the balance of the game, probably would not have affected the result. But they were interesting moments nonetheless and vindicated the BCCI’s stroppy objection to the use of the Umpire Decision Review System which, on the face of it, flew in the face of logic and common sense.

Suggestions that India’s players are not fans of the Review System because of a three-test series against Sri Lanka almost three years ago in which they unsuccessfully appealed against decisions on eight occasions, tells only half the story.

More pertinent, perhaps, is that they quickly realised they would emerge with more ‘marginal’ decisions in their favour than the opposition if they left things in the umpires’ hands. Or fingers.

It has much to do with the status of many of the players in the current Indian team and the common phenomenon of ‘altered behaviour’ in the presence of legends. Just as sensible, middle-aged women don’t deliberately go giggly and weak-kneed in the presence of Tom Cruise or Shah Rukh Khan, umpires don’t intentionally make decisions on the basis that it’s Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid on strike.

But Ian Gould’s response to Paul Harris when asked why a plumb lbw against the Little Master had been turned down during the first test was revealing, even if it was said in jest.

“Because, Harry, the batsman gets the benefit of the doubt…and besides, I happen to like watching Sachin bat.”

Whereas the likes of Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman might reap the umpiring benefits of being gentlemen, Harbhajan is a fierce competitor who has learned a thing or two about appealing and umpires’ reactions in his decade of international cricket.

All in all India fancy their chances in the world of human error and there’s little doubt that they have the personnel to weigh the odds in their favour. Using technology to make decisions would remove that advantage.

The ICC left the decision on whether technology would be used for each series in the hands of the host union. Cricket South Africa wanted to have the UDRS for this series but backed down when India objected. Further proof of the power that India wields in international cricket.

Boucher and de Villiers know where to look if they want someone to blame for their lbws.-->

That, of course, will be little consolation for Boucher and de Villiers.