Apart from Team India’s magnificent performance across all formats against England at home, it was umpire Nitin Menon, who impressed one and all with his remarkable accuracy in his debut series as an ICC 'Elite Panel' official.
See Also: Dinesh Karthik hopes Nitin Menon gets Best Umpire award for 2021
Menon, 37, was introduced into the ICC elite panel of umpires amid the COVID-19 outbreak in June last year but he had to wait till February 2021 for his first major assignment.
With the pandemic prompting ICC to appoint local umpires in a bilateral series, Menon officiated in all four Tests between India and England as well as three T20Is and three ODIs.
By the end of the series, Menon garnered rich praise for his brilliance from the cricket fraternity.
In an exclusive chat with PTI, Nitin Menon reflected on his gruelling assignment with fondness.
"The last two months have been great. It gives one great satisfaction when people notice and appreciate your good work. This series was always going to be a very challenging one because of the hype associated with it — a place in the World Test Championship final at stake, both teams coming back from impressive overseas wins, challenging pitches to officiate on.
"As for the white-ball series, it was between the two top-ranked teams in the world. Taking all these factors into consideration, I am pleased that we did well as an umpiring team," he said.
Menon’s brilliance can be gauged by the fact that out of 40 referrals taken against his decisions during the series, only five were upheld. More importantly, only two decisions were overruled out of 35 referrals taken against his lbw decisions.
When asked about dealing with high pressure situations match after match, Menon said: "I believe umpiring is all about mental toughness. More the pressure better is the focus. If we can give our best performances when we are under pressure, that is the true reflection of how strong we are mentally.
"It's not new for me to officiate in back-to-back matches, thanks to the amount of domestic cricket organised in India. On an average, we do eight four-day First-Class games on the trot in Ranji Trophy, with travel in between from one venue to another.
"Even in the IPL, we do around 14-16 games without a break, so all this experience has really helped me in this series. Like players, umpires also have form. I always feel that when in good form, I should do the maximum number of games without any break," he further remarked.
Nitin Menon had a dream of officiating the Ashes Test but for that to happen, the COVID-related restrictions need to ease.
"I enjoy it thoroughly (in the middle). If I don't enjoy my job as an umpire, then it will reflect on my performance. Enjoying the game is another way of releasing the pressure. We have the best seat in the house to watch the game.
"And whenever I find time, I make it a point to watch international cricket as it helps me professionally. I have particularly enjoyed watching the Ashes since the time I used to play cricket," he stated.
Menon will now be seen umpiring in the 2021 edition of Indian Premier League, starting April 9. Like all the players, he will also be experiencing the bio-bubble life for almost next two months.
Talking about the bio-secure life, he said: "It is very challenging. It is tougher on off days because we cannot go out of the hotel. This is where having a good team atmosphere becomes crucial. We are like a family in the bubble. We have to look after each other, make sure our colleagues are in the right frame of mind, help them out, meet as often as possible and spend time together.
He also mentioned the contribution of ICC match referee Javagal Srinath.
"We were lucky to have Javagal Srinath as our match referee, the experience he has as a player and as a match referee really helped us. Also, not many people know about the contribution of the ICC Umpire Coaches, how they guide and groom us. They often play a crucial role, making sure we remain focused and positive," Menon concluded.
(With PTI inputs)
