Top BCCI Umpires form an informal group on the social media to debate old controversial decisions and likely challenging scenarios
![]()
![]()
Traditional Games at home for Rajesh Kannan ![]()
JR Madanagopal had just received news of his appointment as the fourth umpire in this year’s IPL. He is not the one to get easily excited. And yet this was a big moment for him in his career. It was long overdue for he had had strong years in the domestic circuit. In 2016 season, he secured 100 marks for his Quarter Final match and 99 marks for his Semi Final performance in the Ranji Trophy. And yet, he was not part of the IPL that followed a couple of months later. He was looking forward to be back in the IPL this year. In fact, after officiating in the final of the National U23 tournament, he came back to Madras and officiated in the first division league that was coming to its final stages.
India’s Top 5 umpire KN Ananthapadmanabhan had just got back to his home town in Thiruvananthapuram after officiating in his first Ranji Trophy final last month and he was looking forward to a full fledged stint in the IPL. In recent years, he has become a regular at the IPL.
For a couple of others, there was a TNCA knock outs and final to look forward to. But all of them have been locked indoors for the best part of a month now with the lockdown across the country.
These top umpires at the BCCI have now formed an informal group using the social media platform and have been engaging in intense debates on controversial cricket decisions from the past, challenging scenarios for umpires and imaginary situations.
Ananthapadmanabhan from Thiruvananthapuram, Madanagopal and a couple of others from Madras along with Sai Darshan from Bangalore have joined together in a fruitful discussion, online, putting forth their respective opinions from their respective homes on each of these incidents and scenarios and coming to a conclusion on the interpretation of the Laws.
Ananthapadmanabhan who umpired in his first Ranji Final last month is also spending the lockdown period refreshing the new Tom Smith Laws of Cricket. Once in a while he puts up an interesting cricket video for discussion in the group for everyone to share their opinion. If they are unable to thrash out the differences, they take it to former Elite Panel International Umpire S Ravi who helps them out, says Ananthapadmanabhan
Back in his home in Mylapore R Rajesh Kannan after over 2 decades of nonstop cricket is enjoying the lockdown break with his family, one that has taken him back to his school days in the 1970s when he used to spend time with family and friends playing traditional games of Tamil Nadu.
He has been out on the field all through the 1990s and 2000s first playing and over the last decade umpiring matches.
The current scenario of being locked up indoors has evoked memories of the traditional games that he once played as a young school boy in the 1970s. This is quite a different experience from the one he has had as a cricketer and umpire being out in the hot sun and is all excited to be playing with his two daughters educating them on how these traditional games also help improve the math.
During the period of the lockdown, he has played several rounds of Dayakattam, Paramapatham and Pallankuzhi.
But after over three weeks of lockdown, he too like Madanagopal is looking to get back soon on to the ground.