Virat Kohli gets support from Michael Clarke regarding Smith’s DRS controversy

Former Australian captain Michael Clarke backed Indian captain Virat Kohli’s judgement on counterpart Steven Smith’s controversial method to use the Decision Review System (DRS) on the fourth day of the Bengaluru Test.

“When I was playing I remember having a brain fade when I gloved a ball and did not walk off. So, I don’t want to be too judgmental on anybody. If what Virat is saying is true and Australia are using their support staff to help them with DRS then that’s not on, it’s completely unacceptable.

”If you look at the footage, Peter Handscomb actually suggested Smith to turn around and look to the support staff. If this was a one-off, I don’t think that would have happened”, Clarke told India Today.

He further elaborated, “The fact that Handscomb even thought of asking the Australian skipper to turn around and look to the support staff, I’ve got my concerns. I want to give my opinion but I want to find out more about it. But if Virat is correct and if Australia are using DRS that way, then it is completely unacceptable and it is not a brain fade.”

The post-match press conference saw both captains being local on the DRS episode. While Smith called his apparent mistake ‘brain fade, Kohli was not amused and insisted that the visitors were resorting to unethical means not just in the 2nd Test but throughout the series so far.

Now that Smith is losing support from his own countrymen, it is imperative that he does not continue to resort to unfair means in the remainder of the series. The third of the 4-Tests Border Gavaskar Trophy will be played at MS Dhoni’s home ground Ranchi from March 16 to 17, and the hosts will be looking forward to not break their momentum and clinch another victory.