Impartiality in white coat!
Piloo Dara Reporter, nee PD, was a successful Indian international cricket umpire who officiated in 14 Test matches (1984 -1993) and 22 One Day Internationals (1984 -1994).
He earned the respect of players everywhere for his impartial umpiring. Very vocal, he remained composed even when facing notable cricketers such as Malcolm Marshall, Viv Richards, and Imran Khan.
Born in Bombay, he began working for MSEB. At first failing the exams after responding to an advertisement from the Bombay Cricket Association for umpires, he, eventually began officiating domestic local leagues and district matches, such as the Kanga League, in 1961, at the age of 22.
Finally, he was hired as an umpire for the Ranji Trophy in 1967-1968 at the age of 29. He participated frequently in Irani and Duleep Trophy matches in the ensuing years. Reporter also participated in thirteen first-class games, officiating two of them as a match referee.
It was only a question of time until the moment came in September 1984, when he officiated in his debut international ODI match at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi between Australia and India. He marked the end of his ODI tenure in February 1994, in a match between India and Sri Lanka at Rajkot. It should be noted that this event marked the first day-night match in Indian history.
Reporter’s maiden Test was during England’s India visit in 1984, in Delhi with another umpire Dara Dotiwalla as his partner. His last appearance was in February 1993 Mumbai Test between the same teams.
In November 1986, Reporter and another Indian umpire, V K Ramaswamy, accomplished a historic first by becoming the first two impartial neutral umpires in contemporary cricket history since 1912. This occurred in Lahore during the Pakistan vs. West Indies series, where they officiated to remove the stigma associated with biased umpiring, at the request of Pakistani Captain Imran Khan.
In the end, this resulted in the ICC designating a single impartial umpire for Test matches starting in 1992 and formalising it two years later.
His exceptional abilities as the lone Indian umpire during the 1992 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand were appreciated when he stood in seven matches.
His distinct aggressive, quick, and unorthodox boundary signaling style made him incredibly popular, evoking laughter from players, commentators, and spectators. Cricket pundit Henry Blofeld called his distinct style, Milkshake.
He officiated games at a time when there was no third umpire, nor DRS rule applied. Just like a batsman on the crease, umpires such as Reporter were totally focused on their work.
In addition to being an excellent popular umpire, he was a delightful person with a cheerful disposition and a charming demeanour. The Cricketers Foundation awarded him a cheque for Rs. 75,000 in January 2021 as a token of appreciation for his exceptional contributions to Indian cricket.
In 2004, Rupa & Company released his book, An Umpire Remembers: The book of Piloo Reporter, in which he chronicled his dramatic career as an umpire, which began at the club level in the early 1960s and culminated in a spectacular manner three decades later at the World Cup, the premier cricket event.
Reporter, who was eighty-four, passed away in Thane. His wife and two daughters survive him.
Aspiring umpires and cricket fans alike continue to find inspiration in his commitment to the game of cricket, both on an international and domestic level.
A.Radhakrishnan is a Pune based freelance journalist, poet and short story writer.