Using technology in sports

I have been watching the US Open the last couple of weeks and was pleasantly surprised to find that players were given opportunities to challenge the referee’s decision. Once a challenge is made, the location of the pitch of the ball is projected, animated and displayed on the screen and the decision is reversed if required. All this takes less than 30 secs probably. I feel this is healthy to the sport. Even though each tennis court has about 5-6 people calling the shots and a referee, the technology that is available to enhance the sport is being used effectively.

I really wish that cricket also takes a cue from this and enables the use of technology. The key points that can be raised by people against this are:

• Cricket is a gentleman’s game - This is stupid. I mean really stupid. I mean this could have been the case a century back. Like in the days of Lagaan The game is no longer like that. It is a sport and there are billions of people following the game.
• Allowing the players to challenge the umpire is not correct and plays down the importance of them - This is even more stupid. I mean no one is going to take away the credit from the umpires. They can and will still call the shots. But when there is a doubt, why not use the technology. I mean, they are already doing this (3rd umpire), but why not broaden the usage. After all, the umpires are also humans and they do make mistakes and everyone knows (from the replays of several decisions) that such thing happens.
• Allowing the players to challenge will slow down the game - This is correct to an extent. But the technology is so advanced these days that the challenges won’t take more than a minute. The rules can restrict the number of challenges per team per game. So that way, the teams don’t end up challenging each and every decision.
• Another factor is that Cricket is the only team sport with the least number of people officiating on the field as compared to Tennis, Soccer, NFL, NBA etc. So with this less number of people, why not use the technology…

Let’s hope that ICC starts thinking for the good of the sport rather than think of generating more income.

Sania goes to fourth round

Sania Mirza has reached the fourth round of US Open!!! That is really a great news.

She will probably play Maria Sharapova (1st seed) in the fourth round which should be pretty interesting. Though I don’t expect Sania to go past Sharapova, I am sure that the match will provide her with loads of experience playing a top ranked player.

Sania, All the best!!!

Sania goes down….

Sania Mirza goes down but not without a fight.
She lost in the second round of Wimbledon to the 5th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova (the current US Open chanpion). She played very good tennis. She came back strongly to win the 2nd set and put in a good fight in the 3rd set too. She almost won the match!!!

Couple of my friends predicted that she will be sharing frames with Telugu stars in movies in a year’s time. I just hope it DOESN’T come true She is a great hope for Indian tennis in singles which otherwise doesn’t exist right now.