Former Indian umpire Piloo Reporter, a pioneer who was among the first neutral umpires to officiate in Test cricket, passed away in Mumbai at the age of 84, leaving behind a remarkable legacy.
Piloo Reporter had been battling Cerebral Contusion disease, and he was under the loving care of his wife and two daughters during his illness.
An Illustrious Umpiring Career
Reporter's illustrious umpiring career spanned 28 years, during which he presided over 14 Tests and 22 one-day internationals. Notably, he officiated in the 1992 World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand.
In addition to international matches, Reporter also had a role in 13 first-class matches, where he served as a match referee in two instances.
Piloo Reporter embarked on his umpiring journey with the Delhi Test between India and England in December 1984. His remarkable career culminated with his last appearance in the Mumbai Test between the same teams in February 1993.
In the realm of One-Day Internationals (ODIs), Reporter's journey began with the India-Australia clash in Delhi in September 1984. He concluded his ODI umpiring career in Rajkot, presiding over the match between India and Sri Lanka in February 1994.
A Historic Milestone: Neutral Umpiring
One of Reporter's most significant achievements was his collaboration with VK Ramaswamy during the series between Pakistan and the West Indies in 1986. This historic pairing marked the first instance of neutral umpires since 1912, a testament to his pioneering spirit in cricket officiating.
Wasim Ansari, Cricket Coach while speaking with the FPJ said, "Milkshake" was the name given to his boundary signalling method by cricket commentator Henry Blofeld. He was an umpire when no 3rd umpire and DRS rule came into play.Today there are more human errors while umpiring when technology has taken over.Umpires like Piloo Reporter was focussed on their job, just like a batsmen on the crease. His loss is a loss to the cricket world. Very sad news."
Bhavik Patel, a Kanga League cricketer from Thane said, " We have lost a very popular and seniormost fine umpire. He was also a terrific human being. Sad news for the cricket fraternity."
Sharing a interesting information about him one of the cricketer from Thane on the condition of anonymity said, " International umpire Piloo Reporter used to work at the Maharashtra State Electricity Board, but became an umpire at the age of 22 when Bombay Cricket Association (BCA) put up an advertisement for the post. Also in January 2021, he was handed an amount of Rs 75,000 by The Cricketers Foundation, honouring him for his services to Indian cricket."
Indian Cricket Legends Pay Tribute
Taking to X (formerly twitter), former Indian batter VVS Laxman wrote, "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."
"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," tweeted Virender Sehwag.
