ICC's latest no-ball trial in action as Kohli fires

The third umpire intervened on three occasions with a no-ball call during the opening T20 between India and the West Indies on Friday as part of the International Cricket Council's latest trial.

The ICC announced this week that the T20s and ODIs between the two nations will be contested with the TV umpire monitoring every delivery and communicating with the on-field officials if the bowler oversteps.

SCORECARD: Kohli shines as India chase down 208

"Throughout the trial, the third umpire will be responsible for monitoring every ball bowled and identifying whether there has been any front foot infringement," an ICC statement said on Thursday.

"If there has been an infringement on the front foot, the third umpire will communicate this to the on-field umpire who will subsequently call a no-ball."

And this came to pass during India’s successful run chase in Hyderabad, with the TV umpire calling a no ball against the Windies on three occasions.

The TV umpire's rulings handed India six extra runs as they chased down a victory target of 208 with eight balls remaining; three runs for each no ball plus the three runs they scored from the resulting free hits.

Pressure has been building for a new approach after TV replays showed 21 no-balls were missed in two sessions on the second day of the first Domain Test between Australia and Pakistan last month. 

Trent Copeland, a former Australian player and now a television analyst, called the misses "astonishing" and said the issue had to be dealt with.

"The outcomes of the trial will be used to gauge whether the system has a beneficial impact on the accuracy of no ball decisions and whether it can be implemented while minimizing disruption to the flow of the game," the ICC said.

It’s the second time the ICC has trialled the measure having previously implemented it during a one-day series between England and Pakistan in 2016.

India's cricket board last month announced that it will experiment with a separate no-ball umpire in the Indian Premier League after controversies in the 2019 tournament.

Skipper Virat Kohli, meanwhile, hit an unbeaten 94 off 50 balls as India beat West Indies by six wickets in the opening match of the series.

Kohli put on a key 100-run second-wicket stand with KL Rahul, who made 62, as the hosts reached their target of 208 in 18.4 overs to lead the three-match series 1-0. 

Kohli smashed six fours and six sixes to record his career-best T20 score, beating his previous high of 90 with a winning hit over the rope. 

The second match is in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.