On Tuesday, VrindaRathi, N Janani, and V Gayatri brought a remarkable change in the sports sector. They broke the stereotype and became the first women umpires in the Ranji Trophy.
While Janani, a former software engineer, will officiate the game between Tripura and the Railways team in Surat. On the other hand, Vrinda Rathi will be in charge of the match between Goa and Pondicherry in Porvorim.
The third umpire V Gayatri is an ex-cricketer who had to give up on her rising career in cricket due to an injury. Now, she is the umpire for the 2nd round match of Chhattisgarh VS Jharkhand, which will take place in Jamshedpur.
The dynamic three are all from different professional backgrounds. Yet they have gained high respect in the industry. All thanks to the BCCI, who decided to break the stereotype and include women umpires in men’s matches, the trio managed to create history.
Reportedly, the 36-year-old ex-cricketer Janani often approached the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) with a proposal to become an umpire. She, however, cleared the 2nd level of the BCCI umpiring exam in 2018. On the other hand, Vrinda, from Mumbai, played in several matches before passing the BCCI exam.
Men’s cricket in Australia and England already includes many female umpires in their panel. However, out of 150 BCCI registered umpires, only three are women.
