Umpires are the most underrated characters on a cricket field. They are under the similar amount of pressure just like the 22 players playing it out to win because one incorrect decision by the umpire is enough to attract all the criticism and allegations. Indian umpires haven’t made it really big in the international stage but making an exception in this list is our very own Nitin Menon who recently made it into the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires for the 2020-21 season. So in this article lets discuss, the story of Nitin Menon.
These are the Menons who come not from anyplace in Kerala but Indore in Madhya Pradesh. Narendra Menon and Nitin Menon are a father and son duo, who have one thing in common. Both are cricket Umpires and what is more, have been associated with the sport in the best way possible. Umpiring definitely runs in the Menon genes and it won’t be wrong to say that the Menon family is contributing some brilliant umpires to the country. Narendra is a former Madhya Pradesh Ranji cricketer, then turned to Umpiring, entered BCCI’s panel and also did a few One Day Internationals (ODI) before becoming an Umpire-coach. He also served as the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association Secretary for a while. “Now I have retired and spend quality time with my grandson Hrishabh, Nitin’s son,” said the elder Menon, who worked with the State Bank of India.
For someone who has an MBA, Nitin could have pursued some other career for a wonderful living. But it is the passion for cricket that drove him to this delightful journey. Particularly, after seeing his father. The touch of dedication and determination is evident in his approach, something any young man involved in sports can very well follow. For, there is no end to opportunities, only there has to be a keen eye for the right moment. He was recently promoted to ICC Elite Panel of Umpires for the 2020-21 season following the annual review and selection process conducted by the International Cricket Council. Nitin becomes the youngest Indian umpire to be named on the panel and is third and currently the only Indian after Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Sundaram Ravi.
Nitin represented Madhya Pradesh in U-16, U-19, U-23 & List A matches from 1996 to 2004 before he decided to follow the footsteps of his father Narendra. He cleared the BCCI Umpiring exam in 2006 at the age of 23 years and started officiating in domestic matches from 2007-08 season which was a start at a very tender age. He has been earning a lot of praises for his accurate and adamant umpiring specially in the recently concluded India vs England series. Seeing an Indian umpire excel at the global stage, warms the hearts of Indian fans round the globe.
Nitin has no intentions of stopping in the future and he just wants to grow upwards and onwards. In his latest interviews, he’s been quoted saying many times that he wishes that the culture of umpiring flourishes in a country like India in the coming time. He wants to share the international stage with fellow Indian umpires and he really hopes that in the coming years, India will become a country that develops technically sound umpires who will excel in the international stage.
