Unpopular opinion: Does Umpire's call need to stay in cricket? Absolutely Yes!

Virat Kohli getting out on umpire's call [PC: Twitter]

In a world full of diversifications in terms of geography, physique, dialect and food habits, what unites all of us is our immense love for cricket. 

We love watching the game and talking about it  seamlessly. From what I have seen during many conversations, a common topic that emerges as a matter of debate is the relevance of the umpire's call in cricket. In fact, many people find it logical to keep things simple whenever an LBW decision involving an umpire's call pops up on the screen. What they opine is 'declare the batter out if the ball hits the stumps and if it misses, decide otherwise'. For them, the median between the two extremes, the umpire's call, doesn't really make sense. 

What prompted me to write this piece is my eagerness to throw light on the immense value the umpire's call brings into the game. So, let me convince you why I bat for this rule's existence whenever I get a chance. 

[PC: Twitter/FoxSports]

Let's consider a simple example. Suppose a batter is declared 'not out' on a marginal call. The fielding team thinks although it might just clip the stumps, it's worth taking a chance with the DRS. Imagine a world in which we don't have the umpire's call. In that case, the fielding team obviously wouldn't opt for a review as they would be afraid of losing it. 

The point is marginal calls can go either way. Sometimes, some shouts that seem not out in real time, are changed to out after being reviewed. The existence of the umpire's call gives the fielding side an assurance to use the DRS in case of marginal decisions, as they feel that even if it just clips, they won't lose their review. 

Now let's think of the situation from the umpire's perspective. In the present scenario, the umpires raise their finger only when they are assured of the ball hitting the stumps. But if they are asked to declare out even on the ball clipping the stumps, the chaos would increase, as their tendency of deciding in the bowlers' favour would increase. 

[PC: Twitter]

And, in most of such cases, the batting team would suffer, as they wouldn't opt for a review fearing of losing it. 

In simpler terms, we can't tie up the players as well as the umpires between two extremes. There should be something in between to balance things. Therefore, I feel the umpire's call needs to stay, at least as long as cricket doesn't evolve into a fully technology-dependent sport.

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