India's 36-year-old Nitin Menon has been included in the International Cricket Council's Elite Panel of Umpires. On Monday, Nitin became the third Indian umpire to be named to the panel. The most amazing thing is that he is the youngest umpire in the world to make a place on this panel.
Nitin is the third Indian after former captain Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Sundaram Ravi to make it in the list. Ravi was left out of it last year. Before Menon, England's 40-year-old Michael Gough was the youngest umpire on the current panel. Menon quit playing competitive cricket at the age of 22 and at the age of 23 he started umpiring in BCCI-accredited matches as a senior umpire.
Earlier there was an ICC panel and the elite panel above it. For the last few years, ICC had also added an emerging panel before it. In the Emerging Panel, good umpires get test matches of small teams. While the umpires of the elite panel, get the test matches of full-time teams.
It is the dream of every umpire to join the ICC Elite Panel, but there are very few who reach there. At this time, Nitin has gone with Javagal Srinath to inspect the world's most modern stadium being built-in Chandigarh on the instructions of ICC.
Nitin Menon said on the occasion: "I did not expect to be joining this group so soon. When I got a call from the ICC, I was not sure. It is like a pleasant surprise for me. I did not expect so soon. It was thought that I would reach here in a few years. Now the plan of the future is to keep my performance consistent so that my selection can be meaningful. "
Nitin's father Narendra said, "Monu (Nitin's household name) was playing cricket for MP. He was a bit disappointed when he did not have a good season. I asked if you would be an umpire. He nodded in 'Yes'." In 2006–07, BCCI took the exam and at my behest, he and his brother Nikhil gave the exam. Both passed and since then Nitin has not looked back. He has a very fine understanding of the rules. He has also become the BCCI's best umpire of the year. "
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