Ranji Trophy: Umpire Ananthapadhmanabhan officiates from both ends on Day 2 in Ranji Final - Here’s why

Umpire C Shamsuddin has been ruled out of the ongoing Ranji Trophy final between Saurashtra and Bengal because of swelling in his lower abdomen.

Umpire C Shamsuddin has been ruled out of the ongoing Ranji Trophy final between Saurashtra and Bengal because of swelling in his lower abdomen. This happened when a ball thrown by a Bengal fielder following the fall of a wicket on Monday hit Shamsuddin when he was looking elsewhere.

Umpire C Shamsuddin was hit on Day 1 (BCCI Domestic Twitter)

Following this, KN Ananthapadhmanabhan, the other on-field umpire, officiated from both ends for one full session. Local umpire Piyush Kakkar stood at square leg. As per the BCCI regulations, a neutral umpire should be present from both ends and since, Kakkar was from Rajkot he was not allowed officiate from the main end.

“He didn’t look comfortable taking the field because of pain, so we took him to the hospital and he underwent a medical examination. He was advised a week’s rest, so he will return home,” ESPN Cricinfo quoted a Saurashtra Cricket Association official as saying.

S Ravi, who was the designated third umpire, was not able to take the field as he was the only match official equipped with BCCI’s limited DRS available for the match. However, he walked out after Lunch as Shamsuddin temporarily assumed charge as the TV umpire.

After a rather frenetic day, the BCCI summoned Yashwant Barde from Mumbai as a replacement. He will now accompany Ananthapadhmanabhan from Wednesday, the third day of the final.

As far as the match is concerned, Cheteshwar Pujara and Arpit Vasavada gave a masterclass in defensive batting with a five-hour partnership on day two, taking Saurashtra to a strong position in their Ranji Trophy final against Bengal here on Tuesday. Their 142-run stand off 380 balls wore down the opposition who had a slight edge after reducing Saurashtra to 206 for five on the opening day.

(With agency inputs)