The first round of the Duleep Trophy 2024 went as smoothly as possible. Played simultaneously in Bengaluru and Anantapur, India B and C emerged victorious. With several big names in action, the quality of coverage and umpiring was high. But, now that many international stars have moved to Chennai to prepare for the India vs Bangladesh 1st Test, the quality has dropped off.
It started with no live coverage of the India B vs C match at the Rural Development Trust Stadium B in Anantapur. The lack of high-quality cameras also meant that the Decision Review System (DRS) wasn’t available for the game since the technology relies heavily on frame-by-frame images from cameras spread across the outfield.
DRS right, umpire wrong?
However, it’s not that match that’s been struck by a DRS controversy. Instead, the other game between India A and D has found the limelight for all the wrong reasons. Played in Anantapur at the Rural Development Trust Stadium, the game has both live coverage and DRS available. Yet, an eyebrow-raising decision was made.
In the 14th over of the second innings, Yash Dubey was adjudged out by the third umpire. Dubey tried to have a poke at a ball outside off by Aaqib Khan. A sound was heard, and India A appealed in unison, but the on-field umpire shook his head in disagreement.
Mayank Agarwal made the signal (T), and to the TV umpire it went. Akshay Totre reviewed the decision and adjudged Yash Dubey out despite clear daylight between the ball and bat. A clear spike on UltraEdge was seen, and for Totre, that seemed to be enough. Dubey walked about in disdain, unhappy with the decision, but in the end, there was nothing he or anyone barring the umpire could do.