HYDERABAD: Umpiring in cricket has often been called a thankless job. Umpires are criticised for every mistake, while they are never appreciated for all the other good decisions. The city is fortunate to have produced umpires like VK Ramaswamy and Ivaturi Shivram in the past who went on to become international umpires of repute.
Following in their footsteps are Shamsuddin and Nandakishore, both 44 years old. While the former has already umpired international matches, the latter is a few steps away from getting into that league.
Nandakishore, who recently officiated the tri-nation one-day series – India, Australia and South Africa, is among the top ten umpires in the country. Both Ramaswamy and Shivram are the guiding force for Hyderabad umpires today. In a significant step, the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has been making efforts to improve the standard of umpiring by entrusting the job to Ramaswamy and Shivram. “It is an interesting profession. I would like cricketers to take this up as their profession. It is a tough but an interesting job,” says Shivram, who in his umpiring days was regarded as one of the best in the country – for his integrity and sound knowledge of rules. Shivram feels umpiring is all about patience. “An umpire has to stand for long hours on the field. There is no relaxation. The umpire’s patience is always tested in tight and close matches. Of course, in the longer format of the game, like three-day or five-day, their temperament is also put to test,” he says. The veteran observes that over the years, though the rules have remained the same, the game has become faster.
“The umpires have come under scrutiny with the advent of technology. But it is important to go with the decisions we take with naked eyes as much as possible. Umpires do make mistakes. There is no denying the fact. But at the same time they should not be dependent on technology,” he opines.
He feels that Shamsuddin and Nandakishore have the qualities to become good umpires. “They are being rewarded for their hard work. They have been sincere and have passion for the job. They are well versed with the rules. They have stood tall with some good decisions,” points Shivram.
While Shamsuddin has so far officiated one ODI, four T20s, 10 as TV umpirs and 61 IPL matches apart from his first class matches in the country, Nandakishore has been on the job for 11 years now. “An umpire should be very focused. I do my homework before entering the field. It is important for the umpires to remain cool even in close matches. I have to be learned to be patient,” says Shamsuddin.
Nandakishore took up umpiring thanks to Shivram. “He forced me to take up the job. He knew that I would be able to handle this tough assignment,”says Nandakishore who is the former Hyderabad Ranji captain and took up umpiring in 2008 after retiring from first class cricket.