Hyderabad: India’s only umpire in the current Elite panel umpire list – Nitin Menon has scripted a history, becoming the Indian umpire to officiate in the most number of international matches as an on-field umpire. He achieved the incredible feat during the T20 World Cup 2024 clash between 2021 champions Australia and Namibia at North Sound on June 11.
Menon officiated his 126th international match on Tuesday and surpassed the former India off-spinner and veteran umpire Srinivas Venkataraghavan’s 20-year-old record of officiating 125 international matches.
Menon has officiated in 23 Tests, 58 ODIs and 45 T20Is (126 matches overall) as an on-field umpire so far. He has also worked as a TV umpire in six Tests, 14 ODIs and 24 T20Is (44 matches).
Venkataraghavan officiated in 73 Tests and 52 ODIs (125 matches) as an on-field umpire as T20 cricket was not even in existence then. He has also officiated as a TV umpire in 18 ODIs and a Test while working as a referee in 8 ODIs and five Tests.
The 40-year-old Menon from Indore is currently doing duty in the ongoing T20 World Cup in the USA & West Indies. Menon is India's only umpire in the ICC Elite Panel, where he was inducted in 2020. He was the on-field umpire in many iconic games or ICC events so far. He first officiated the third Ashes Test at Headingley, Leeds last in 2023.
Along with Sri Lanka's Kumar Dharmasena, Menon officiated the 2023 World Cup opener between England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad on October 5, and in all four Tests of the Border Gavaskar series in February-March in India last year.
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