DRS Drama at Lord’s: Sunil Gavaskar Slams Technology After Controversial KL Rahul Dismissal!
The final day of the third Test between India and England at Lord’s delivered high drama and intense emotions — but not just because of the cricket. While England edged closer to victory by dismantling India’s fragile batting order, it was KL Rahul’s contentious LBW dismissal that stole the spotlight and reignited long-standing questions around the reliability of the Decision Review System (DRS).
India, chasing 193, resumed Day 5 on 58/4. But disaster struck quickly. Rishabh Pant was cleaned up by a ripper from Jofra Archer, Washington Sundar fell to a sharp return catch, and then KL Rahul — India’s best hope — was adjudged LBW after a Ben Stokes delivery seemed to crash into his pads.
Initially ruled not out by the on-field umpire, England opted for DRS. The ball-tracking showed it hitting the middle stump, and the decision was overturned. Rahul was gone for 39, and so were a lot of Indian fans’ hopes.
But what followed sparked even bigger debate.
Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, on commentary, openly questioned the legitimacy of the ball-tracking system:
“Surprisingly, this one didn’t bounce that much. When Indian bowlers were bowling, the balls were mostly going over the stumps in reviews. I am questioning the technology.”
This was not an isolated incident. A similar controversy unfolded on Day 4 when Mohammed Siraj struck Joe Root on the pads. The Indians were convinced, the crowd held their breath, and DRS was called in. The replays showed the ball just clipping leg stump — umpire’s call saved Root. Once again, Gavaskar didn’t hold back.
“You’re saying it was going to kiss the leg stump? There’s no way. It was knocking the leg stump off,” he lashed out.
Adding fuel to the fire was umpire Paul Reiffel’s consistency — or lack thereof. Several marginal decisions across the Test seemed to favour England, leading many to question both on-field and technological judgments.
The five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series is now balanced at 1-1, and with India needing a miracle at Lord’s, the focus has shifted beyond just bat and ball — to technology, decision-making, and the integrity of the review system itself.
Was it just bad luck? Or is there truly a flaw in the system? The controversy may rage longer than the Test itself.
