File photo of Virat Kohli (right).
Indian cricket board has decided that on-field umpires are no longer allowed to give soft signals when referring to a decision to the third umpire after Team India skipper Virat Kohli said it creates confusion, reported ANI.
As per the updated playing conditions for the IPL 2021, the new rules state: "Soft Signal: Onfield Umpire giving Soft Signal while referring the decision to the 3rd Umpire will not be applicable."
The decision to remove the soft signal call is taken to ensure that the third umpire will be able to take the best decision possible without keeping in mind the umpire's call.
"There have been cases wherein the soft signal has kind of created confusion rather than giving clarity to the third umpire and that is why it was felt that going back to the old method of referring decisions to the third umpire if the on-field umpires are not sure should be followed," a source told ANI.
Earlier Kohli made his feeling apparent about the soft call saying one need to question if the spirit of the game remains intact with the confusion it creates.
"If it hits the stumps or missing the stumps, it should not matter how much the ball is clipping because it is creating a lot of confusion. One more factor that needs to be considered is how the fielding team responds to a dismissal that is claimed," Kohli said.
"This is somewhere defining the soft signals as well. You have to question what the spirit of the game is and what those guidelines are because if things like that happen with the Indian cricket team overseas then you are talking about the completely different conversation about the spirit of the game."
He further added that the lack of clarity over the rules leaves a grey area in the game.
"So look, it is a serious thing which needs to be considered because there is a lot at stake in bigger tournaments. You do not want any grey area hampering the game and it leaves with you no clarity," he said.
