The ongoing Ranji Trophy finals between Saurashtra and Bengal at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot already had its fair share of controversy with a life-less pitch on offer.
Moreover, another instance from the finals raised quite a few eyebrows as only a single umpire is officiatin♐g fr🐟om both ends.
During play on Day 1, umpire Chettithody Shamsuddin was hit on th⛦e lower abdomen area, after one of the fielders passed the ball post dismissal of the batsman. The injury to the umpire forced him to remain out of action in the first session of Day 2.
It meant that KN Ananthapadmanabhan had to officiate from both ends in the match, while Piyush Kakkar stood𝓡 at square leg throughout the entirety.
Due to the various responsibilities of the third umpire, Sundaram Ravi was not able to deploy himself on ꦆthe ground.
According to the laws of domestic cricket in India, only two umpires are deployed for officiating the match. T꧃he third umpire plays the dual role of match referee as well as the controllers of six cameras overlooking the game for DRS appeals.
As op🌳posed to the role of the fourth umpire in the international game, when an umpire is injured or feels unhealthy, the liaison officer for umpires and match referee replaces them. These are usually local umpires on the ground deploye꧋d by State Association.
