Kohli slams ‘Dressing Room Review’

CHEAT CHAT Kohli and BCCI lash out at Steven Smith’s attempt to seek help on DRS from his dressing room

I saw it happen twice, their players going upstairs (looking at the dressing room). That is why the umpire knew what was happening. This is a line you don’t cross. VIRAT KOHLI, INDIAN SKIPPER

BANGALORE: While India have struggled with the Decision Review System (DRS) in this series, it was Australia’s turn to lose composure while using it as the pressure of fourth-innings chase got to them on Tuesday.

A review lost and one not taken left Australia on a shaky 67 for three chasing 188 for victory. Later, a desperate Steven Smith sought tip from the dressing room on whether to contest his lbw dismissal before being asked to leave the ground by umpire Nigel Llong.

After the match, Smith acknowledged he made a mistake. “It was a bit of a brain fade on my behalf. I was looking at our boys, and shouldn’t have done that.

“It is probably the first time it has happened. It was probably a brain fade. But it shouldn’t have happened.”

However, Virat Kohli indicated that the Aussies were cheating. although he simply said ‘I didn’t use that word”, when asked if he felt the visitors were illegally trying to get indications from the dressing room before going for the DRS review.

“There are loopholes in every technology. People are bound to make mistakes…. But we take our own decisions, we don’t look for confirmation upstairs.”

When told that Smith had described it as a ‘brain fade’, Kohli dismissed it. “I saw it happen twice, their players going upstairs (looking at the dressing room).

“That is why the umpire knew what was happening. We brought it to their attention, and told the match referee. They knew what was going on.

“This is a line you don’t cross. I will never do that.”

The BCCI too criticised it by calling it ‘Dressing Room Review System’ on its twitter handle.

Match referee Chris Broad, however, dismissed it as a oneoff incident.

Smith had blundered earlier in the day too, giving the go-ahead for opener David Warner to seek a review after he was given out leg-before against R Ashwin.

The ball hit him low on the front pad as he shaped to sweep. TV replays, and the ball-tracking technology, showed it would have clipped off-stump, which is the umpire’s call.

But the big one Australia let slip was the dismissal of Shaun Marsh, who top-scored in the first innings with 66. The lefthander shouldered arms to an Umesh Yadav delivery which jagged back and umpire Nigel Llong upheld the appeal for leg before.

Marsh had a long chat with Smith and then turned and walked away.

TV replays later showed he was not out. The batsman was struck outside off-stump and the ball was missing the stumps.

It seemed the Aussies were reluctant to use the DRS as they had only one review left. But Smith said it was a breakdown in communication with his batting partner.

“I thought it hit Warner outside the line and said ‘go for it’. It was umpire’s call. That was out. With Shaun, we weren’t entirely sure. I said ‘go’ as in ‘go have a look at it’. But he turned around and started walking. Maybe I should have just put my hands up and done it (reviewed). We then saw the replay and it was missing.

“It would have been a nice one to review. Shaun was looking pretty good. A disappointing wicket at that time, but that’s the game of cricket. You have to move on from there.”