Sachin Tendulkar, often called the “God of Cricket,” interacted with his fans on social media on Monday, answering several questions on Reddit. During the session, Sachin revealed that he would like to change one particular cricket rule related to LBW decisions. He expressed that he prefers removing the “umpire’s call” from the DRS system. According to Tendulkar, players usually go for a review because they believe the on-field umpire’s decision is incorrect, so there should not be an option to fall back on the original decision.
While responding to a fan’s question about which cricket rule he would like to change, Sachin said, “I would change the DRS rule regarding the umpire’s call. Players opt for reviews only when they are unhappy with the on-field umpire’s decision. So, there should be no point in going back to the original verdict. Just like players go through a bad phase, umpires too can have tough days. Even if technology makes mistakes, it will remain consistently wrong.”
This is not the first time Sachin Tendulkar has spoken about removing the umpire’s call. Back in 2020, he had also advocated for its elimination. At that time, he said that if the ball is even slightly hitting the stumps according to ball-tracking technology, the batsman should be declared out. Currently, however, the rule states that if the on-field umpire gives a “not out” and less than 50% of the ball is hitting the stumps, the decision stays “not out.” Similarly, if the umpire gives “out” and even 1% of the ball is hitting the stumps, it remains “out.” The umpire’s call in DRS works on the principle of giving the benefit of the doubt.
Earlier, in a video chat with West Indies legend Brian Lara, Sachin also said, “One thing I don’t agree with is ICC’s DRS rule, which they have been using for a long time. In LBW cases, for an on-field decision to be overturned, more than 50% of the ball has to hit the stumps. Players go for a review only because they are unhappy with the on-field call. So when the decision goes to the third umpire, let the technology do its job. It should be like tennis — either in or out, nothing in between.”