India to use hi-tech software to gain edge

By Y.P.Rajesh

The Indian cricket team has acquired a new computer software product that will allow quicker and more accurate analysis of players' performances, national coach John Wright said on Thursday.

"This is a very sophisticated piece of editing and data collection (software) which makes the task of watching performances easier for a player or coach," Wright told Reuters in an interview.

The former New Zealand captain who took over as India's national coach in November said that the software product would be installed on a laptop computer which would in turn be connected to a television feed of the game.

"What it really does is it allows players to look at their performances at the end of the game or during the game," Wright said. "It also has the added advantage of combining the visuals with the statistics."

The software was developed by Bangalore-based Phoenix Global Solutions India Pvt Ltd, the software development subsidiary of U.S. insurance giant Phoenix Home Life Mutual.

Wright said the editing software would allow a bowler to watch a spell of six overs uninterrupted and a batsman could watch his entire innings of 50 runs scored off 100 balls in less than 30 minutes.

"Right now it is virtually impossible to do so as all that we can get is unedited (video) tapes," he said.

WATCH INNINGS

"A batsman can watch his whole innings or his backward defensive play or his attacking off-drive or any shot he wants to have a look at," Wright said. "We could then copy all that on a computer disk and players can look it up on their laptops."

Wright, who has said he aims to inject passion back into India's national sport, said the software was tested in the team's recent two-test home series against Zimbabwe which India won 1-0.

"We hope to implement it starting with the Australian series," he said referring to the three-test home series starting next month.

India's coach said the software would also allow users to build a historical video database of rival teams from video tapes of their earlier performances.

"The (Indian cricket) board and the company (Phoenix) have combined to obtain footage from earlier games and we are starting from the bottom to build a database," Wright said.

He said teams from Australia, England, New Zealand and Zimbabwe used computers to analyse performances but each had their own method of doing so.

Mail Cricket Editor