Should Batsmen Walk?

When it comes to walking, the one scene that comes to my mind was when Adam Gilchrist walked against Sri Lanka in the 2003 WorldCup Semifinal. The sight of a batsmen walking when given not-out is quite rare. I can remember of only a few players who have done so- MS Dhoni, Kumar Sangakarra, Adam Gilchrist.

Majority of the players are against walking, even the great Sachin Tendulkar feels that batsmen shouldn't walk. Adam Gilchrist recently wrote in his biography that his act of walking in the worldcup semifinal wasn't appreciated by any of his Australian mates in the dressing room and they left him feeling isolated. Over the years, this particular topic has drawn contrasting views from cricket's top players.

What I feel is that, umpires are appointed to ensure the game is being is played as per the rules. Umpires are humans, so we can expect an error of judgement from them. But, the good and bad decisions that they take even out on the longer run.

When a batsmen stands his ground although guilty of knowing that he is out, people call it unfair play. But when a batsmen is dismissed of a cheap decision and has to walk back, no one accuses the bowler of unfair play-infact I can't remember of any case where a bowler has foregone his wicket. And, if we have an ideal situation where batsmen and bowlers stay true to their conscience then there isn't a need for umpires.

I'm someone who believes that batsmen shouldn't walk because they also suffer the wrath of poor umpiring decisions. But I would love to be corrected or supported, so feel free to post ur comments on this topic.