One final twist in Smith’s DRS controversy; BCCI makes a U-Turn

There has been a lot of going back and forth in Smith’s DRS controversy. The ICC had rubbished the matter and had asked both teams to focus on nothing but cricket. But Virat Kohli’s team did not want the defaulters to walk free. So, BCCI decided to lodge an official complaint against Smith and Handscomb, but in a rather bizarre move, BCCI have taken back their complaint against the Australian duo.

BCCI CEO, Rahul Johiri met with the CEO of Cricket Australia, James Sutherland at BCCIs headquarters and decided to let cricket take centre stage.

The two boards have released a joint statement where in they have emphasised on the fact that in an India-Australia series there are bound to be moments that run high on emotions, and that both teams should take that in their stride and move on.

“A series between India and Australia is bound to generate considerable excitement for fans in both the countries. On the field, the two teams are fierce competitors who represent their countries with pride. As we have seen this week in Bangalore, with so much at stake, tensions can bubble over. We are half way through what has already been a riveting series – and there is still much to look forward to. In discussing the relevant issues in depth, we have agreed that it is in the best interests of the game to put these differences aside and clear the way for the focus to be on the cricket and the remaining matches of the series,” said James Sutherland.

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“India has always cherished a contest with Australia and over the years, the performances of both, the teams and the players, are testimony to the level of competitiveness that exists between these two teams. While having responded officially to one such incident which happened in the last Test, together, we believe that the focus of the teams and the joy they provide to the fans, should not be diluted and it is imperative to ensure that the rest of the series, which promises a great cricketing contest, not be compromised,” said Rahul Johri.

This move from the BCCI does not make much sense. When you believe that the opposition has indulged in unfair practices you need to go out there and fight for it, especially when you have authorities that are ready to come up with corrective measures. Yes, cricket should be taking centre stage when two teams of such calibre take on each other, but then just to ensure that that happens, you cannot let someone get away with unethical and illegal practices.

With how it has been going, we still expect the DRS saga to go on for sometime.

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Utkarsh Bhatla