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DRS technology not good enough, says BCCI chief

December 04, 2012 18:03 IST

In order to ensure availability of the top-rung players during the domestic season, Board of Control for Cricket in India president N Srinivasan says they are looking to establish a "prime" home season, which will reduce the team's touring commitments during that period.

"We are starting to look at and define our prime season, and during your prime season you should be playing at home," Srinivasan said.

"We want to have possibly one or two visiting teams during our domestic season, starting in September all the way up to March, and we'll see the extent to which we don't tour outside.

"Given the FTP that is there, we are going to see how we can adjust." Srinivasan was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

N SrinivasanHe said the domestic season would be rescheduled to make Tests at home the centre of attraction, and encourage international players to play in the Ranji Trophy.

"This year we also encouraged our big players and stars to play domestic cricket. This is a change from the last several years," he said.

The Ranji format has been changed to three groups of nine teams each. Last month, Delhi's Ranji tie against Uttar Pradesh saw international players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina sweating it out for their home states at a packed stadium in Ghaziabad.

Srinivasan reiterated the BCCI's stand on DRS technology, saying it will continue to oppose it, even as the ICC has the right to use it in their events.

"We don't believe in it (DRS); so, after discussion, members have agreed it should be bilateral. I don't want to dictate to other people. We don't believe the technology is good enough," he said.

Srinivasan said the ICC's statement that the DRS technology has "improved further" was in a way "acceptance that it was not good enough then".

"But it was touted as being good at that point in time. Our problem is that when they say it is all right, then they say it'll get better tomorrow, or an improved version now.

"So we concede the fact that there was less than adequate perfection. Which is our point, if you want to use technology it must be perfect," he said, while rejecting allegations of being an 'obstructionist' to the DRS.

Srinivasan's words seemed to be laced with a bit of sarcasm as he further elaborated on the technology.

"If you don't have faith in the umpire, which itself is a contradiction as in cricket the umpire's verdict is final, if a player shows dissent you fine him. But now you're saying that I have two attempts to question your decision. So the reconciliation between that is difficult.

"So if you take it to the end point of it, then you have two lampposts with coloured lights red, yellow and green, you don't need an umpire at all, as you refer every decision, so let an automatic reply come from there after a review and you say red or green."

He also accepted that there is no possibility of a window for the IPL due to packed international calendar.

"… you have ten Full Members, they play each other home and away once in four years. The number of ICC events has increased from ten years ago, so there's a lot of clutter. So the BCCI accepts the fact that there is no real window and that whoever is available plays."

Srinivasan termed team India's criticism as 'not fair' for playing badly overseas as every country tends to perform in their home conditions.

"It's not that we get exposed when we go abroad. Every country is used to its own conditions, whether it is England, South Africa, Australia, so they tend to play better in home conditions, which is what we also do."

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