Mumbai, May 1 (IANS) Veteran ICC umpire coach Denis Burns is delighted with the promotion of Janani Narayanan and Vrinda Rathi to the ICC development panel.
As part of his job, Burns has spent considerable time in India over the last decade and has worked closely with Indian umpires and overseen their rise to the international level.
Currently, India have four umpires on ICC’s international panel and until recently S. Ravi was also a member on the ICC elite panel of umpires, a report on Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s official website read.
“I think Janani and Vrinda represent the ‘new wave’ of female umpires in India. I first worked with them last year when I conducted the induction course for new umpires in Chennai. S Ravi and the BCCI International Panel of Umpires assisted me. I have had the privilege of facilitating courses in India for over 10 years and the enthusiasm, commitment and work ethic of last year’s group was extraordinary,” Burns told BCCI.TV.
“By investing in umpiring the BCCI have raised the status and recognition of umpiring in India. Umpiring is now a full-time occupation for many young, aspiring officials. This was evident in the induction course. All attendees were highly motivated and eager to develop their knowledge and understanding of the laws and their skills as potential TV umpires,” said Burns who has officiated for over 20 years in England.
Making most of the lockdown break, Burns has been conducting online discussions, video simulations with a large group of Indian umpires.
Janani said the exercise has helped her understand the role of a third umpire in a practical manner.
“Our sessions last for an hour. I am not used to third umpiring and it’s something new that I am learning. By practicing this, we will be ready whenever we get televised matches. Though this drill we get accustomed to the order we need to follow and the exact phrases we need to use. We have looked at many different dismissals and Denis’s feedback is highly useful.”
Vrinda believes the video simulation will help her to improve her decision-making abilities. “Denis has so many different videos of different dismissals. We have studied the boundary footage, boundary catches, no-ball videos and also the DRS. He has been very patient with me and encourages me to do better every time. It has been a confidence booster and I even take notes and refer to them later even after the session is over.”
Burns said the two female umpires from India are putting in the hard work and improving day by day. “They continue to push themselves to be the best umpires they can be. Their progress has been exceptional. They are determined to hit the ground running when the opportunity eventually arises.”
India Tribune, as an English weekly newspaper, was launched in 1977 in Chicago by its publisher Prashant Shah with a lofty ideal to serve the Asian Indian community in the USA. Over the years, it has grown with all vigor, and now it is being published in three editions – Chicago, New York and Atlanta. India Tribune, a journal of its kind for the family in the USA, has been a household name for many Indians for over three decades with each issue commanding a readership of over 125,000.
