Transition: Kaushik says his career shift from being a player to an umpire has been interesting.
| Photo Credit: File photo: M. PERIASAMY
Kaushik Gandhi says he knew he was going to become an umpire even before he began his playing career.
His father, P. Mohan, was an umpire, and umpires and umpiring have always been a part of his life. He’s always had an “interest in umpiring.”
His not being a permanent member of the Tamil Nadu squad for the past three years and the BCCI’s player-turned-umpire offer in December 2022 have acted as catalysts for his decision to become an umpire. That offer has enabled him to straightaway become a level-2 BCCI umpire as well.
Content
Though he feels he should have played more Ranji Trophy matches for Tamil Nadu, he’s content with his playing career given that he began as an off-spinner and converted into a batter. “So, as a converted batter, I had to do a lot more background work than others to be successful.”
The 33-year-old is also considering umpiring in the Tamil Nadu Premier League. “It is also very interesting as an option with the inculcation of DRS and all that. That is also a good stepping stone for me,” he added.
He also talked about Simon Taufel being an inspiration for him.
Kaushik says that having been a player enables him to gauge certain decisions better and he’s now become even more understanding of the umpires’ mistakes.
Having officiated in a few TNCA first division league matches, he says that the umpiring standard and the remuneration could be better at that level.
“We’ll probably get more interested people then. Because, now, the supply is low, the demand is higher.”