'Make UDRS mandatory only when it's fool-proof'

The Indian vice-captain has often said he would like the UDRS to be used in both Test and one-day cricket, but Mahendra Singh Dhoni echoed the majority sentiment in the Indian camp on Wednesday when he said unless the system was fool-proof, it must not be made mandatory.

Dhoni added that as things stand, the on-field umpires get enough support from the third umpire, and fired what appeared an oblique salvo at the men in the middle, stating they needed to ‘step up’ and deliver.

“You have two gentlemen standing as umpires, which means they are professionals. It has been surprising to see umpires making some mistakes. That could have been avoided if UDRS was there, but does that give the umpires the liberty to give bad decisions? They are professionals and they are paid to be there, which means they have to really step up and do as well possible as some of the best cricketers in the world are performing.”

The UDRS needed to be perfect if it was used on a regular basis, Dhoni went on, drawing a strange analogy with a life jacket, of all things! “I personally feel it's not a cent percent thing. I don’t think it gives cent percent result, it's not always correct. If I am going to buy a life jacket which does not come with a warranty, that's a bit of a hassle for me. You spend a huge amount of money to have the DRS system in place, I would prefer some kind of warranty behind it. The moment it comes, I would be happy for it.”Wonder what the International Cricket Council, and the men in the white coats themselves, make of these comments.