In a First Female umpires conduct Ranji Trophy games

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 10 January 2023

Vrinda Rathi, Janani Narayanan, and Gayathri Venugopalan made history by becoming the first female trio of officials for the renowned Ranji Trophy. Rathi is a former scorer, Narayanan is a former software engineer, and Venugopalan was a player whose career was terminated by an injury.

In the second round encounter among both Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh throughout Jamshedpur, Venugopal is the referee, whereas Narayanan and Rathi are in charge of the games between Railways and Tripura in Surat and Goa and Pondicherry in Porvorim, respectively.

The trio, who hail from different backgrounds and were already well-known on the women's circuit, made history when the BCCI decided to select female umpires for the domestic men's circuit.

Despite being prohibited from speaking to the media, Indian board-contracted umpires claim to be aware of the three women who are poised to create history.

Rathi, a 32-year-old medium pacer from Mumbai, had played for Mumbai University. She frequently scored in Mumbai neighborhood events, and, in 2010, she cleared the BCCI test for scorers. When she first met the New Zealand umpire, she was the authorized BCCI referee for the women's World Cup in 2013. After passing the examinations administered by Mumbai Cricket Association, she passed the BCCI exam.

Both Narayanan and Rathi have extensive experience as officials and were formerly a part of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) panel of development officials. Denis Burns, a seasoned umpire instructor who has partnered with an Indian umpire and guided their ascent to the international stage, applauded the pair's appointment to the ICC developmental panel.

He stated, “I believe Janani and Vrinda symbolize the 'new wave' of female umpires in India”. Venugopalan, a 43-year-old resident of Delhi, had aspirations of playing cricket, but a shoulder injury dashed his dreams.

2019 saw her begin umpiring after passing the BCCI test. She has already participated in the Ranji Trophy as a spare (fourth) umpire.

Women are already acting as umpires in men's cricket in Australia and England, so the BCCI still has a long way to go. Only three of the 150 umpires that have registered with the BCCI are female.