Suresh Shastri becomes first Indian umpire to stand in 100 first-class matches

Umpire Suresh Shastri gestures to the crowd during his lone T20 international as an umpire(India vs Australia, Brabourne Stadium,2007)

When umpire Suresh Shastri took to the field this morning to officiate a Hyderabad vs Kerala Ranji trophy Group C game at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad, he became the first Indian umpire to achieve the feat of having stood in 100 first-class games.

Coincidentally, Shastri’s umpiring career also started off when he stood in a Ranji match between Hyderabad and Kerala, in Secunderabad back in 1990-91.

The Rajasthan born left-arm spinner has also stood in a Test series between Sri Lanka & Bangladesh in 2007 apart from having officiated in 19 ODIs. Shastri’s last international fixture as an on-field umpire was the India v Pakistan ODI at Jaipur in 2007. Shastri has also been the third umpire in many international games & was part of the ICC Umpires Panel from 2006 to 2009.

Shastri, who represented Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy, was a left-arm spinner and right-hand batsman and played 53 first-class matches from 1972-73 to 1986-87.