During the events of Day 2 of the third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023, Australia’s acting captain Steve Smith was observed using a very shrewd Decision Review System (DRS) approach. This brilliant strategy helped the great batter and his team defeat team India twice on day 2. The reviewing side gains an advantage without losing a review if the appeal is sent for stumping under DRS regulations since it is automatically checked for caught behind.
Parthiv Patel, a former cricketer for India, said in a similar vein that Smith was aware of this weakness and made the greatest use of it. Additionally, he said that the reviewing team gains an unfair advantage from this practise, hence the rules should be somewhat modified. “Steve Smith is aware of that and he exploited the loophole. The on-field umpire should avoid going to the third umpire if he is sure that it’s not out when there is an appeal for a stumping”, former India cricketer Parthiv Patel said while speaking on Cricbuzz.
The 37-year-old believed Steve Smith was extremely cunningly abusing the DRS’s resource. However, a referral from the third umpire should only be requested in cases of extreme uncertainty regarding being caught behind. He also made the crucial point that the DRS should only be used to examine a single mode of dismissal. “The ideal solution is that the TV umpire should only review the stumping if the appeal is made only for a stumping. A caught behind should not be checked unless the fielding captain opts for a review.”