'We are open to DRS, IF...' : BCCI

ICC to make presentation on DRS before BCCI on October 20

‘We have never said no to DRS. We are open to DRS if it is near perfection’

The International Cricket Council General Manager Geoff Allardice all set to submit a presentation on upgraded Decision Review System before the Board of Control for Cricket in India in New Delhi on October 20 in presence of president Anurag Thakur.

There is a possibility that DRS may be used during the India versus England five-Test series.

One can also expect chief coach Anil Kumble ande captain Virat Kohli, who will be in New Delhi for the ODI, to be present as he is also the chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee.

India are the only cricket playing national to have not accepted the DRS in present form after being the first to experiment with the technology in 2008.

"We have never said no to DRS. We are open to DRS if it is near perfection. During the last tour of Sri Lanka, we had said that we have no objection to DRS if the system is improved," BCCI president Thakur told reporters during the first ODI between India and New Zealand, in New Delhi, on Sunday.

"Kumble, who is also the ICC Cricket Committee head has studied the report of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) report on DRS. The ICC General Manager will be here and make a presentation before Kumble and others in Dharamsala on October 20."

"After that only we can say whether the improved version of DRS is acceptable to us or not," he added.

Thakur said if convinced the DRS can be used in the upcoming India-England Test series.

As a matter of fact, Kumble and Allardice have studied the research carried out by a team of MIT engineers. The MIT team also gave a detailed presentation to the ICC cricket committee during its annual conference in June.

If DRS becomes a reality, it will be for the first time that the technology will be used for a bilateral Test series in India. The last time it was used on Indian soil was during 2011 ICC World Cup.

Meanwhile, the BCCI chief also announced Rs 1 crore reward for the Indian team for becoming the numero uno side in ICC Test rankings following its 3-0 rout of New Zealand.

Thakur, however, said the Board will first have to take the Supreme Court's permission on the matter.

"We have already announced Rs 1 crore for the team but we will have to take the court's permission. Tomorrow there is a hearing and we will ask the Honourable court whether it has any objection," he said.