Published 20:03 IST, May 3rd 2020
Gautam Gambhir says DRS would have helped Kumble & Harbhajan in becoming more successful
Gautam Gambhir said that the availability of DRS would have made the world-class spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh more successful at the highest level.
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Gautam Gambhir said that two of India's finest spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh could have taken more wickets had the Decision Review System (DRS) been made available during their time. The DRS was first introduced in 2008 during a Test match. However, it became famous during the 2011 World Cup when it gave a lifeline to Sachin Tendulkar when he was trapped in front of the wicket by Saeed Ajmal during the epic semi-final in Mohali.
The ball appeared to be hitting the middle stump but after Tendulkar had got it reviewed, the hawkeye suggested that the ball was missing the stumps. The DRS has helped many batsmen and bowlers in overturning decisions that were going against them.
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Gambhir hails Harbhajan & Kumble
During a recent interview, Gambhir went on to say that with DRS technology, Anil Kumble would have ended up with 900 wickets and Harbhajan with 700 scalps respectively. He also mentioned that many of the spinners' leg-before decisions on front-foot were missed (The umpires having misjudged the length of the ball when pitched).
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Meanwhile, he also went on to add that Bhajji had taken seven wickets against South Africa at Cape Town and had those two world-class spinners bowled on rank-turners today, then the opposition would not even be able to reach the three-figure mark.
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Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh have won many Test matches for India both at home and overseas. The Karnataka cricketer has 619 Test scalps. He is the third-highest wicket-taker in red-ball cricket after Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Aussie sensation Shane Warne (709) respectively. 'Jumbo' had bid adieu to international cricket in 2008. He is currently a commentator/analyst and a former coach of Team India.
Bhajji, on the other hand, has 417 wickets in the longest format. Even the Punjab cricketer is currently working as a commentator/analyst. He represents Chennai Super Kings in IPL. Even though Harbhajan had last played for India in 2016, he is yet to officially announce his retirement from international cricket.
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(Image Source : PTI)
20:03 IST, May 3rd 2020