The Decision Review System (DRS) has been under the scanner since its inception in the late 2000s. The first time DRS was trialled in 2008 in a Test between Sri Lanka and India.
On Day 2, the DRS was used by the first time when Harbhajan Singh's lbw appeal was turned down against Malinda Warnapura.
Later, on Day 4, Virender Sehwag became the first batter to get dismissed via DRS and entered the history books of the sport. Umpire Mark Benson had turned down the appeal but the ball-tracking showed that it was hitting the middle stump. Sehwag had not offered a shot and hence was given not out even when the ball hit him outside the line of the stumps.
However, DRS caused controversy right from the start as the tracking was not proper. Even after discussion between on-field umpires Benson and Billy Doctrove, the decision was reversed. The third umpire Rudi Koertzen did not pay heed to it either.
Earlier, on Day 2, Tillakaratne Dilshan managed to successfully challenge the caught-behind decision. He felt that the bat had hit the ground and not the ball. However, the snickometer or more commonly known now as ultraedge showed a spike but it did not come under tools of DRS.
In the same Test, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid got out as Sri Lanka used DRS to change the umpire's decision. The two wickets helped Sri Lanka control the game better and win it eventually.
Indian captain Anil Kumble did not cry foul despite two decisions not going his way.
"A few dismissals were obviously negated under the referral system," Kumble said. "The new system is something we have to take forward. It definitely requires a review but it is too early to say."
On the other hand, Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene supported the use of DRS in international figures as he said, “If it wasn't used in this Test we'd probably have had four bad decisions go against us. The decisions for both Tendulkar and Dravid were tough ones for the on-field umpire.”
