Coin toss, DRS in Ranji discussed at BCCI conclave

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With a record number of 2,024 matches conducted in the last domestic season, the annual BCCI's captains and coaches conclave held yesterday provided the right platform to take stock and offer suggestions.

To tackle umpiring howlers, it was suggested to avail of the Decision Review System (DRS). The suggestion was accepted positively by the gathering despite its limited use. "Only ball-tracking technology is likely to be available. Snicko [to detect edges] is quite expensive and may not be used by the BCCI for domestic games. It remains to be seen whether the teams would agree with limited means of technology at their disposal," a BCCI source told mid-day.

Umpiring howlers
It was suggested that the DRS could be used only from the knockout stage for games that were televised. But how much of a difference will DRS make is for the BCCI to discuss now since there was a storm when umpires failed to spot edges last season.

The two thick edges from Cheteshwar Pujara during the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Karnataka had gone unnoticed by the umpire as the Indian Test specialist went on to score a match-changing century to help Saurashtra enter the Ranji Trophy final.

In a radical suggestion from Kerala coach Dav Whatmore, the former Australian batsman suggested that the BCCI should do away with the toss and allow the visiting team to choose whether to bat or bowl first. It is learnt that the suggestion was made in a discussion concerning pitches and conditions.

It is learnt that a majority captains were open to the idea of not having the toss from the knockout stage of the tournament. "This will further help in preparing fair and sporting pitches," said a state unit functionary. The BCCI will have to check with the ICC whether they can do away with the toss as they follow ICC playing conditions where the toss is mandatory.

While the system of deploying neutral curators got a thumbs up, there were mix views about playing home and away games in the knockout stage. "Some felt that the champion team must play in neutral conditions. There were others who felt that the home-and-away system brings fans and followers to the venue," a source said.

More 'A' tours for women
There was also a discussion on the relevance of Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup with 37 teams now competing. In the maiden conclave for women's cricket, it was suggested that there should be more India 'A' tours.

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