Indians belatedly adopt Hi Tech methods
Traditionally, the Indian line of thinking has been generally conservative and this is true of cricket in this country as well
Partab Ramchand
23-Dec-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'.