Australia skipper Tim Paine expressed his frustration over the DRS and its regulations as he dissected the reasons behind the team's 8-wicket loss in the Boxing Day Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The DRS debate erupted after greats like Sachin Tendulkar questioned the "umpire's call" factor in the system and Paine's dismissal only added fuel to the fire. Paine was given out caught behind after the on-field call was overturned by the third umpire. The decision was made after a spike was shown when the ball passed the bat although there was no mark on HotSpot.
Paine said he got out at a crucial juncture in the game and could have revived the Australian innings as he was well settled. "My dismissal in the second innings was extremely frustrating, no doubt about that. It was a crucial part of the game, I have felt that I have been playing well and I thought if I could get into partnership with other batter and add another 100-150 runs together then the whole game changes," Paine said in a virtual press conference.
"But it is what it is, I did not hit the ball in the second innings, it was pretty clear from my reaction, yeah I thought we had a pretty same example on day two with Pujara, it sets a precedent," he added.
Paine explained that his concerns with the decision were not with the dismissal but with the precedent that was set when Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara got out.
"I have spoken to the umpires, it was not that productive, my concern with my dismissal was not with the technology but the precedent which was set with Pujara in the first innings, and the fact that the decision with my dismissal was taken pretty quickly," said Paine.
"He did not look at enough replays to see that there was a gap between the bat and ball, the line itself had started before it passed my bat and then it finished again so it was just a lot of things that did not add up for me, I don't think he took the time to look at the evidence, technology was okay for me," he added.
India defeated Australia by eight wickets to level the four-match Test series 1-1. The win also ensured India moved a step closer to the final of the World Test Championship.