Want to maintain Mumbai's tradition of having best umpires, admits Ganesh Iyer

While the World has come to a standstill with the COVID 19 pandemic raging across the globe, former BCCI umpire Ganesh Iyer and his former colleagues have come forward to enhance the standard of BCCI umpires hailing from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). While the step might look small but it might spark the revolution required for India to produce quality umpires who can go on to feature in ICC’s panel.

Explaining their concept, Iyer shared that they have two WhatsApp group, one group is for the BCCI umpires from Mumbai and the other for all local umpires, through which they operate. The senior umpires organise hour-long sessions on the social media app where they discuss various laws and playing conditions in details

"This is about developing the umpires. Mumbai always had the best umpires, and we want to maintain that tradition,” Iyer told TOI.

“We have two whatsapp groups for local umpires. It was started by nine of us who passed out of the (BCCI umpiring certification course in 1997), and have now retired from BCCI umpiring. We've begun a process where we'll help the next group of umpires to upgrade themselves.

"For one hour per day, there will be a topic, law, or a playing condition, on which there will be a discussion. It will be moderated by one of us senior umpires.”

Iyer, a former member of MCA’s managing committee, conceded that their aim is to make the umpires thorough about laws and playing conditions so as to avoid any mistake on their part when the season kicks off. The concept of utilising the lockdown period, when sports activities have come to a dead stop, is a great way to go through these dreaded times.

"The idea is to use this period to enhance their knowledge and understanding of key points which will help them to grow and eliminate errors. Unfortunately, we can't meet in person, but at least electronically, we can do it easily. When the season takes off, everybody will be busy with their jobs, and getting them at the same time won't be easy.

"No umpire should make an error on law or a playing condition from next season. Local umpires are prone to make a silly error about law, which needs to be eliminated," he concludes.