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Cricket Players'One of the best in the world': Dinesh Karthik all praise for umpire Nitin Menon
A total of 40 referrals were taken against Nitin Menon's decisions but only 5 were upheld. 23 referrals against the Indian umpire were struck down, while 12 of them were the umpire's call.
England's tour of India produced some remarkable performances from Team India's camp over the last two months. Be it debutants like Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Prasidh Krishna, and Ishan Kishan making impactful contributions or the comeback to form for the likes of KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan - there are multiple reasons to remember this extraordinary series. There's one more reason to celebrate the duel: umpire Nitin Menon's top-notch officiating.
At a time when umpires are under constant scrutiny even as questions are being asked of the technology that is used to assist them, Nitin Menon was an embodiment of calmness and accuracy as he got his decision spot on.
Menon officiated in all 4 Tests between the two sides and was part of 6 of the 8 limited-overs matches. A total of 40 referrals were taken against his decisions but only 5 were upheld. 23 referrals against the Indian umpire were struck down, while 12 of them were the umpire's call.
There's more. A whopping 35 LBW decisions given by Menon were referred but only two of them overturned. Over the course of the series, teams became increasingly hesitant in going for DRS against Menon's decisions. Captains of both sides would often ponder long and hard before referring to Menon's calls.
In a staggering indication of his accuracy, 35 referrals were made against his LBW decisions and only 2 of them were overturned.
The third and final ODI at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Sunday was no different. Menon was at his accurate best. India lost a review when they decided to send a not-out decision from the Indian umpire upstairs. Krunal Pandya had trapped Dawid Malan on his pads in the 19th over. While it looked close in real time, replays suggested the ball was going over the stumps, leaving Virat Kohli and his teammates bemused.
India lost their second review 20 overs later when they sent one of his decision in a Bhuvneshwar Kumar over upstairs.
Praise all around
India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik, who was on commentary duties for a UK broadcaster for this series, took to Twitter to laud Menon's accuracy, suggesting he should be handed the best umpire of the year award.
His tweet read: "We have to give credit where it's due and this whole series if there has been a revelation, thy name is "NITIN MENON".He's been phenomenally consistent and I hope he gets the best umpire award for this year.He is definitely one of the best in the world," Dinesh Karthik wrote.
Former India opener-turned commentator, Aakash Chopra came up with a meme, giving a piece of advice to captains who opt for review against Menon's decisions.
Former Australia cricketer Lisa Sthalekar also tweeted on the same subject. She wrote: "Oh he is good....very good. Nitin Menon outstanding umpire. I would never review his decisions."
At the age of 36, Menon became the youngest umpire to be included in the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires when he made it to the highest level in June 2020.
Interestingly, Menon had quit his playing career aged 22 and shifted to his family profession of umpiring.
