Shubhda Bhosale - A woman cricket umpire from India

The new season of cricket has arrived and the young boys are already showing their capabilities to take themselves to the next level in cricket. The past two months have seen youngsters like Sanju Samson, Vijay Zol, Unmukt Chand and many others excelling at the highest level of cricket. But wait, there is one more youngster who has made a debut on the cricket field – not as a player, but as an umpire.

To be more precise, she is the youngest woman umpire in India.

Shubhda Bhosale, 22, was the only girl who successfully completed the level-1 umpiring course conducted by Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) in June this year.

Till 2009 Shubhda was a regular member in MPCA’s U-16 & U-19 women’s teams. After spending time in the dressing room as a player, Shubhda decided to change the stream and to pursue umpiring. She has already featured in a few tournaments conducted by MPCA.

Cricket is not new for her. Her uncle Shrikant Bhosale was a Ranji cricketer and her father Ajit Bhosale is a cricket coach.

Shubhda says, “It’s all about love for cricket. I wanted to be there on field as an umpire and ensure the smooth conduct of the game. Many women in India are unaware about the opportunities available in this field of umpiring.”

Shubhda stands as umpire in not only women’s matches but in men’s matches too.

A former leg-spinner, Shubhda is now eyeing to get to the next level of umpiring. Her dream is to become a member of the elite panel of ICC umpires. To reach this apogee she is ready for all the hard work.

On the international stage there is certainly a void when it comes to women umpires. That is the reason Kathy Cross from New Zeland was the only woman cricket umpire during the women’s World Cup which took place in India recently.

The state of Madhya Pradesh has always been on top when it comes to records in cricket. Both the double centuries in ODI cricket were made in Madhya Pradesh. Also, Madhya Pradesh pacer Ishwar Pandey was the top ranked bowler in the last Ranji season.

This girl from Gwalior can put yet another record on the name of her state if she becomes the first woman umpire from India. She stands at one place patiently for the entire day during the games but her career as an umpire has already started to gather pace. Don’t be surprise if we see this talented woman from MP standing in international games in next few years!