Indians belatedly adopt Hi Tech methods

Partab Ramchand

December 23, 1999

Traditionally, the Indian line of thinking has been generally conservative and this is true of cricket in this country as well. We take to new innovations rather belatedly, well after they have been adopted by other countries. For example, it was quite some time before the authorities in India came to terms with the popularity of one day cricket. India was among the last countries to have a one day domestic competition and the result was that by the time we grasped the intricacies of the shorter version of the game, other countries had made giant strides. Similarly, it was some time before we learned the importance of having a cricket manager or a team doctor or a qualified physio - well after other countries had these personnel as an integral part of their squads.

Some years ago, as part of the hi tech advances being made in the game, teams started using a digital video camera to record the performances of the players and make an assessment of how and why batting and bowling errors could be eradicated. The Indians however were wary of using the devices. The then coach Madan Lal reportedly rejected the offer, saying computers could not help teams win matches. In keeping with the traditional line, the Indian think tank in Australia have belatedly adopted the hi tech methods in a bid to improve various aspects of their game. The digital video camera now will be used both at the nets and during the second Test at Melbourne starting on December 26.

According to coach Kapil Dev, the idea of having a video camera to eradicate mistakes stemmed from a discussion at a team meeting. Anil Kumble, who is a computer expert will work out the modalities. The highly advanced gadget is expected to cost anything up to 10,000 US dollars. Given the performance of the team in Australia, any facility that would help their game to improve would be welcome. And the Indians do come up with a better show in the second Test one could term it as `hi tech improvement'.

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