Vrinda Rathi
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Firsts
Umpires
First woman Test Umpire
Dec 15, 2023: The Times of India
Navi Mumbai: The India women team’s first home Test in nine years has turned out to be special for young umpire Vrinda Rathi, who is officiating in the match.
On Day 1 of the Test between India and England at the DY Patil Stadium, Rathi etched her name in the history books by becoming the first woman Test umpire for India. That she made her umpiring Test debut in Navi Mumbai, a city where she was born, must have made the occasion more special for Rathi.
In 2014, Rathi cleared the umpires exam, conducted by the Mumbai Cricket Association, and four years later, passed the umpires’ exam conducted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 2018.
Since then, the 34-year-old has officiated in 13 WODIs and 43 WT20Is. In 2020, she was promoted to the ICC Development Panel of Umpires.This year has seen making one umpiring record after another. On 10 January 2023, she along with Narayanan Janani became the first woman umpires to stand as an on-field umpire in a men’s domestic fixture in India, as the pair stood in the match between Goa and Pondicherry in the 2022-23 season of the Ranji Trophy.
We also published the following articles recently Vrinda Ghanshyam Rathi, India's first woman Test umpire, made history in Navi Mumbai. She debuted in the one-off Test between India and England, becoming the first woman umpire in Indian women's cricket. Rathi, born in Navi Mumbai, cleared the umpires exam in 2014 and has since officiated in various matches. In 2022, she stood in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Rathi also officiated in the Women's T20 World Cup, Women's Premier League, and the Asian Games. This Test involves an all-Indian umpiring show.
India and England women's teams kick off a challenging 10-day spell with a one-off Test at DY Patil Stadium. India, with a historical advantage of 2-1 in Tests against England, rely on home conditions. This is England women team's 100th Test, after a 17-year gap since they last played a Test in India. India's last Test against England ended in a draw, with impressive performances from Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. India will also play two Tests against Australia at Wankhede Stadium. Key players for England include Heather Knight, Nat-Sciver Brunt, Danni Wyatt, Kate Cross, and Sophie Ecclestone. India should be wary of Tammy Beaumont, who scored 208 in England's last Test. Indian players making their Test debut include Renuka Singh Thakur, Richa Ghosh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, and possibly Saika Ishaque.