In what came as painful news for the Indian cricket fraternity, former India umpire Piloo Reporter passed away at the age of 84 after a prolonged battle with 'cerebral contusions'. Reporter, who was a part of the first pair of neutral umpires to officiate in an international game, was bed-ridden for a long time before breathing his last in Mumbai on September 3 (Sunday). Born on September 24, 1938, Reporter was survived by his wife and two daughters.
Talking about Reporter's umpiring career, the Mumbaikar made his Test debut in 1984 and went on to officiate in a total of 36 international matches, including 14 Tests and 22 ODIs. The hallmark of his umpiring career, perhaps, came when he along with K Ramaswamy, became the on-field umpire during a Test match between Pakistan and West Indies in Lahore in 1986. It was a path-breaking achievement as it was the first instance of neutral umpires in international cricket.
Apart from officiating in a non-India fixture, Reporter was also the only Indian umpire to be a part of the officiating crew during the 1992 ODI World Cup that was jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
Former India cricketers Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble, Ravi Shastri and VVS Laxman among other took to social media and mourned the demise of Reporter.
"Heard about the passing away of #PilooReporter. His milkshake boundary signal was so catchy. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. Coincidentally, Pillo reporter was also the umpire during Heath Streak’s ODI debut. May God give strength & courage to their families," Sehwag said in a tweet on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Shastri tweeted, "Pity to lose one of the great umpiring characters of my time - Piloo Reporter. Not only did he have a great sense of humour but was a top class umpire as well. Condolences to the family and God bless his soul."
"Sad to hear about the passing away of Shri Piloo Reporter, the first among neutral umpires. His eccentric boundary signals were a delight to watch. Heartfelt condolences to his family and friends," said Laxman in a tweet.
Anil Kumble tweeted, "Sad to hear the news about Piloo Reporter. One of the iconic Indian umpires who was the first to stand as a neutral umpire in 1980s. May his soul rest in peace."
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