Indian cricket has been well served by many distinguished umpires who donned the white coat for the sheer love of the game. A motley group which stood in Test matches till the mid 1990s are in the age group of 77-97 now and according to Mumbai-based, 89-year-old Madhav Gothoskar, all of them are looking forward to a raise in the monthly gratis they receive from the BCCI.
Gothoskar, who officiated in 14 Tests between 1973 and 1983 and in one one-day international in 1981, said that the monthly gratis started with a sum of Rs. 5000 in 2004. It was raised to Rs.10,000 in 2008, Rs.15,000 in 2012 and to Rs.22,500 in 2016. “I understand the BCCI is going to revise the pay structure of the cricketers and others. I would urge them to review our lot also. Many of them are very old and are faced with increasing medical expenses,’’ said Gothoskar.
The BCCI has received requisitions from old cricketers (international, domestic and women) and scorers to increase their monthly gratis. Gothoskar believes the umpires lot should not be left out. He points out that many cricketers (men and women) have been given a one-time retirement benefit and extending the scheme to the umpires would be useful.
A clutch of proposals have been sent to the BCCI’s finance committee, but the quarrelling factions in the BCCI and differences of opinion between a handful of office bearers and the Supreme Court appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) have not helped matters.
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