DRS in hot spot after 3rd umpire's howler in Auckland

AUCKLAND: Daryl Mitchell was at the receiving end of a Decision Review System (DRS) howler during the second T20I against India, when third umpire Shaun Baig upheld the on-field LBW decision despite there being a clear mark on the Hot Spot - a technology which uses infrared thermal imaging to decipher whether ball has hit the bat, and is in no way subordinate in ICC's rulebook to RTS or Real Time Snicko, which in turn uses audio signal processing to distinguish inside edges from the ambient noise and detect them in the process.

That said, it must be noted that "approved" sound-based edge detection technology (like RTS, UltraEdge) features in ICC's minimum requirement for implementing DRS in a match, but heat-based edge detection technology (like Hot Spot) does not. Krunal Pandya had trapped Mitchell leg-before with the last ball of the sixth over and gotten the decision in his favour, only for Mitchell to go for a review in consultation with captain Kane Williamson at the other end, being fairly convinced that there was an inside edge. When TV umpire Baig had a look, he ruled that the very obvious hotspot mark on the inside of the bat, which appeared as the ball passed the bat, was all but due to an inside edge. When RTS showed a flat line, Baig's call stood vindicated, much in contrast to what was visible on the screen.

Slow-mo replays showed the ball change seam position after passing the bat, indicating that it had hit the inside-edge before hitting pad. Williamson was taken aback with the decision, Mitchell using the system for the first time more so, spurring on the on-field umpires to get together in a mini confab, which Rohit Sharma, India's captain, later joined.

The discussion was around finding a way to overturn the decision, but there was no legitimate way, except perhaps Rohit calling Mitchell back - a move far too extreme to even be in spirit of game, with both the on-field and third umpire's decisions going in India's way, notwithstanding howler from Baig.