Always a part of the game and accepted to an extent taking into account the factor of human error, umpiring lapses in Indian cricket have started raising eyebrows.
It’s no secret that the country where cricket has flourished like nowhere else is also the one producing the least number of competent umpires.
After S Venkatraghavan’s retirement from the ICC’s Elite Panel in 2004, Ravi became the first Indian to be included in the select band in 2015. He has been removed this year for not meeting the standards set by the world body.
There is no Indian in the Elite Panel at the moment. Regular complaints against umpiring at the domestic level further highlight India’s impoverished stocks in this vital department of the game.
This is an anomaly in the story of exponential growth that Indian cricket has experienced. Richest by miles and better off than other boards in terms of resources, the BCCI is on a par with the best when it comes to access to technology or hiring top professionals.
There is an umpires’ academy in Nagpur as well. But at a time cricketers are making rapid strides and Indian teams are becoming stronger, the lack of progress made by umpires stands out as discordant. The ICC’s Elite Panel has representation from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West Indies, who are way behind India when it comes to manpower and finances.
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It’s not that the BCCI is not aware of the problem or has not done anything to address it. After no pay revision for six years, remuneration for domestic umpires was doubled last season. There are around 120 assured of a minimum of roughly Rs 12 lakh per year, which makes it a profession to pursue unlike in the past, when they did other jobs and took leave to do umpiring. There are exchange programmes, wherein select umpires travel to officiate in domestic events of other countries and vice versa. But the development is still at a nascent stage, as the number and nature of mistakes suggest. Instability in administration over the last few years has not helped either.
“We do a lot of things to improve their confidence... It is all about those things and getting over one wrong decision and focussing on the next ball. You need to build their confidence and show them you belong here like any other international umpire. Yes, there is definitely a lot to do with regards to improving the standard. But we have been making progress. We can’t change it over a season. The newer crop is showing good signs. We’re headed in the right direction,” says Syed Saba Karim, the BCCI’s General Manager of Cricket Operations. A former player who knows the system inside out, the initiative under Karim to introduce a relegation-promotion concept last season has been welcomed by umpires.
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What are the problems? Money was one and it has been taken care of only recently. The benefits of financial security are not visible yet and should be seen in due course. People in the know point out a few other reasons. They say there is a lack of balance between theoretical and practical knowledge. Most umpires on the domestic panel are not first-class players. To become an umpire in India, experience of playing at a recognised level is not necessary.
According to some, this creates an imbalance. Another is inadequate monitoring. Even though match referees rate performance of umpires at the end of each day of play, it is believed that this evaluation is not reflected in the subsequent posting of the match officials. Poor performance doesn’t usually lead to assignments getting limited.
“The level is good, but there is room for improvement. Being professionals, umpires should avoid silly mistakes. Gone are the days when it was a part-time job. They are handsomely paid now, which makes them all the more responsible,” says Madhya Pradesh captain Naman Ojha, who has been part of the first-class structure for nearly two decades.
“They need to be aware because awareness can help avoid gaffes like in the 2019 IPL. Human errors will be there, but they can be minimised with awareness and game knowledge. Former players coming to umpiring is a good thing. They understand the nuances and it helps in weeding out errors. Theoretical knowledge is useful, but you also need an understanding of practical aspects. And then, a former cricketer cannot be put under pressure that easily.”
Monitoring umpires still seems to be a process in evolution. Until a few years back, a former umpire used to be appointed to oversee the performance of those on the field in every first-class match. Designated as ‘umpires’ coaches’, their job was to evaluate and point out mistakes, with the help of replays. This has stopped.
The practice of two captains marking the umpires on a scale of 1-10 in first-class fixtures has also been done away with. In the system introduced last season, match referees hold daily post-play sessions with the umpires.
They are shown recordings to self-assess their performance. The match referees are former first-class players, who use their experience to explain finer points. While there are match referees who think this process is bearing fruit, others feel it may be too soon.
Former ICC International Panel (where every board nominates three or four to officiate in home ODIs) umpire K Hariharan believes that mentoring, a formal arrangement to teach and fair evaluation of performance is the need of the hour.
“The first thing India needs is a professional set-up where upcoming umpires can be groomed. More important is having mentors to assess and guide these umpires. The ICC’s Elite Panel has the best from across the world but they still have three to give feedback on decisions, thus helping minimise errors. These mentors have to be former umpires of repute. Then, rating of umpires should be fair and unbiased. Match referees assessing umpires is good. The review should be impartial in nature,” says the 63-year-old, who briefly did duty in Test matches, including one at Lord’s in 2005.
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Established in 2010, the umpires’ academy has not helped notably and come to be known more for conducting examinations and hosting annual seminars. According to some of those who attended the last few, these gatherings have ceased to be as useful as they used to be, when the likes of multiple-time ICC Umpire of the Year Simon Taufel delivered lectures. These days, senior Indian umpires are invited for these seminars.
The only overseas expert involved at the moment is former ICC High Performance Panel member Denis Burns, who supervises an annual session for umpires’ educators. These educators go on to take classes for Level 1 and 2 examinations. Whether this system has helped improve standards can be judged from the international standing of Indian umpires.
As the clamour grows, the BCCI remains hopeful that measures launched recently will make things better. “The self-evaluation process will help. Umpires will know the mistakes they made. It comes down to consistency and that will come with experience.
We have a programme wherein umpires are sent to England, Australia and South Africa to gain experience. You need to expose them to different situations. That’s how they will gain confidence. We in the BCCI know it’s our priority and with our programmes we can definitely help them,” says Karim as another domestic season starts, where umpires in all likelihood will be under increased scrutiny.(With inputs from Firoz Mirza and Venkata Krishna B)
March, 2019
Lasith Malinga oversteps bowling the last ball of the match in an IPL blockbuster. Umpire S Ravi overlooks it and Mumbai Indians clinch a six-run win. Other than millions in front of TV sets, thousands at the stadium watch the replay on the giant screen.
“We’re not playing club cricket. The umpires should have had their eyes open,” fumes Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli. “That is a ridiculous call. I don’t know what is happening. They should have been more sharp and careful out there.”
January, 2019
Cheteshwar Pujara nicks the ball behind in both innings in Ranji Trophy semifinal. On one in the first and 34 in the second, he is reprieved by umpire Saiyed Khalid. The Saurashtra batsman makes 45 and a match-winning 131 not out in a fourth-innings chase against Karnataka.
Ulhas Gandhe is the other umpire and the televised match is marred by several bad decisions. It gets noticed that such errors are commonplace in the domestic circuit. Ranji captains and coaches demand DRS at the first-class level.
Evaluation process
Umpires are given marks from 1-100 after each day of play by the match referee. Average is calculated at the end of season.
Rating are given based on positioning, dressing, communication with co-umpire & third umpire & players, body language, concentration, match and rule awareness, and fitness.
From last season, three umpires are relegated and promoted from every division based on average score.
Top four umpires nominated by BCCI to ICC’s International Panel. They officiate in ODIs at home.
Remuneration
Top 20 receive Rs 40K per day
Rest receive Rs 30K per day
Umpires in A & B get around 70 days per season
Umpires in C & D get around 50 days per season
Those in A & B earn Rs 25-30 lakh a year. In C & D, this is around Rs 15-18 lakh