CHENNAI: Life of an umpire is not just about witnessing the game from the best seat in the stadium, it also involves strong mental fortitude and adjustments; staying mentally alert and fit. Just like the players, they live out of a suitcase and it is not easy to have bearings intact if an umpire is doing this day in and day out for years. The complexity of an umpire's life is its loneliness. While players travel in groups, which in a long run serve as their extended families and on occasions they are also allowed to accompany their near and dear ones but umpires hardly enjoy such luxuries.
Standing in an international match is as exhausting as playing it. Add to it the responsibility of making the right call every time the situation arises. One wrong decision can change the fate of the game and the pressure only adds up if the official is the lone representative from a cricket-mad country like India. "We are on the road for about 250 days in a year. This is part of our job, as professionals we train mentally and physically for these challenges," Nitin Menon, India's lone representative at the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, told this daily.
A former domestic player, who switched to umpiring quite early into his cricketing career, however, feels it's a perk which comes with being an elite umpire. "I personally feel that this is a perk which comes with being an Elite umpire, to be able to travel around the world which I would not have been lucky enough if I was doing some other job. Our past experiences help us to understand the weather expected or what sort of hotels/facilities we will get in a particular country."
Menon loves travelling and that helps him mentally and stay in the zone while discharging his duties. According to him, he has an understanding family that knows the nature of his job and its demands. "My family understands my job and they know that staying away for long periods is part of my job. Whenever I get a chance during a series I try to go home for a couple of days or sometimes my family comes over to stay with me for a few days," he said.
A lot has changed ever since Menon donned the umpire's hat. Like players, umpires too have to be physically fit and most of them work out to maintain fitness. "I don’t drink alcohol or smoke so that’s a big advantage for staying healthy. In the last couple of years, I have stopped eating red meat which has helped me to become fitter. Most of us do a lot of physical training like cardio or weight training throughout the year. Even the hotels that we stay at are five star properties with good fitness centres and swimming pools."
Representing country
Menon is fully aware he is not just a match official while standing in a contest. Instead, he is representing the country while doing so. "As the only member of the Elite panel of umpires from India, I feel I have to lead by example and stay fit because earlier there was a perception that Indian umpires are not physically fit. That perception was not wrong in a way because some of our former umpires had big tummies which looked so bad & unprofessional on camera. I have even seen some of them chewing tobacco or pan masala while standing in a game. Some years ago people felt that Indian umpires are not good decision makers and cannot survive in the Elite panel for long, I am into my seventh year in the Elite panel & I am sure that I have managed to change these perceptions. Now I want to change the way people think about Indian umpires not being fit & unprofessional or they don’t give importance to fitness."
Difficult times like Covid pandemic tested the patience and temperament of players and match officials. Thousands of miles away from their families, they were made to stay in bio-bubbles for months. Menon, like others, felt the heat but fortunately has a support system that helped him tide the storm. "Yes, COVID was tough, especially staying in bio bubbles for two months or so. When we were in bio bubbles a good thing was that we used to spend a lot of time together as a PCT (player control team comprising four umpires and one match referee) & we had a strong understanding of each other’s personality. This really helped us to avoid the mental stress."
He, in fact, felt edgy when he could not travel overseas due to travel restrictions. "During times when I was not able to travel overseas due to International travel restrictions, I did feel a bit edgy because there were long periods of time when I was at home without umpiring any matches which was very abnormal considering we were on the road almost every month but the other side of the coin was that I got to spend more time at home with family. I personally feel that period made me mentally stronger because sometimes we tend to take things for granted but COVID taught that life can be very unpredictable."
One more important aspect is updating oneself despite being on the road as the game is evolving every day and Menon believes the international body (ICC) is doing a brilliant job in helping match officials stay abreast with the fresh developments. "We regularly update ourselves by reading the playing conditions especially before a series because there can be slight differences in the playing conditions of various countries. ICC has done a fantastic job of appointing Umpire Coaches for all the Elite & International panel umpires, who work closely with us & help us throughout the year. These coaches also share videos on incidents happening around the world and what is ICC expectations or ruling for any extraordinary situation. We get weekly quiz questions from them to get our brains active & to refresh our knowledge on Playing conditions or DRS protocols."
At 42, Menon has a long way to go. The Indore-based cricketer-turned-umpire, however, has overcome challenges the game and life throw at him every day to keep representing the country at the highest level.