India’s umpiring cupboard looks bare
BCCI’S ‘UMPIRING PROJECT’ THAT BEGAN IN 2007 IS FILTERING UMPIRES FROM GROUND ZERO BEFORE READYING THEM FOR THE NEXT LEVEL
SHIMOGA: When will India find its next Test umpire? It's been a while since S Venkatraghavan was part of ICC’S elite panel. Shavir Tarapore, in 2011, was the last Indian to officiate a Test match. Sudhir Asnani, the only other Indian in the ICC Panel of Umpires and Referees, is yet to make his Test debut.
Just like how talent scouts hunt for cricketers, BCCI’S ‘Umpiring Project’ that began in 2007 is filtering umpires from ground zero before readying them for the next level.
A project worth 45 crores, BCCI equips all state associations with necessary tools. This year, approximately 825 Bcci-organised matches (U-19, first-class, List A and women's cricket), there will be video analysts monitoring performance of umpires, while also helping third umpires take better calls, since the matches are not televised.
Most recently, 10 umpires were demoted after BCCI'S cricket development team found them erring while watching video footage passed on by video analysts. “They’ve (the faulty umpires) been supped into oblivion,” says a source. “The project is to ensure that good umpires are spotted. After many years we’ve realised that that though they come through the right channels: attending BCCI workshops and graduating from the Nagpur Academy of Umpires, somehow it’s only when they’re out in the middle that counts. And this filtering process is finally showing up results.”
According to BCCI, “15 umpires are ready to make the plunge to ICC'S Emerging Panel” - before getting promoted to the Elite Panel.