On the morning of Monday, October 26th, Umpire K. Srinath will go through his usual routines on matchday. Early to rise, a bit of yoga and breathing exercises before getting match ready. He would then head to the stadium an hour early to settle in, be mentally ready, and conduct the usual pre-match duties including pitch inspection, before finally taking the field for the start of play.

Except that, on Monday, Srinath would be doing so for the 100th time for a first-class game, making him one of the few Indian umpires to officiate in 100 first-class matches

“It's a surreal feeling,” Srinath told BCCI.tv ahead of his milestone match, between Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh in Ranji Trophy 2026-27 in Chandigarh.

“The last 18 years have been a phenomenal run-in, and certainly the feeling has not sunk in. As always, the excitement is there, and the bundle of nervous energy still exists, be it a first-class game or a junior game,” added Srinath, who played in 24 first-class matches between 1991/92 to 1996/97, representing Karnataka as well as Tamil Nadu.

The 56-year-old, who was a coach as well as a selector in Tamil Nadu post his playing days, had never thought of a career in umpiring, let alone an illustrious career. A conversation with former BCCI and ICC Elite Panel umpire S. Ravi prompted Srinath to undertake an exam required to be part of the BCCI Umpires Panel. As fate would have it, the venue at which the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) hosted the BCCI umpires’ exam that started it all for Srinath back in 2008 is the same venue that is hosting his historic 100th first-class match.

“Never in the wildest of my dreams I thought I was cut out to stand on a cricket field for 6-7 hours over a period of four days and watch players play and officiate. Because by that time I was already into full-time coaching with the Tamil Nadu Academy and I was part of selection committees, so I never dreamt about it,” Srinath revealed, reflecting on his journey.

“Neither was I a qualified umpire on the state panel with the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, nor had I stood in any competitive games. So that's how it transpired, and Ravi had a major role to play to get me into this fraternity.”

As it turned out, Ravi was also Srinath’s umpiring partner on his first-class debut as an umpire, during a Ranji Trophy match between Tripura and Rajasthan in Agartala in 2009. As Ravi’s arrival into Agartala was delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, then a newcomer Srinath was tasked with handling all the pre-match umpiring duties on the eve of the contest, including the captains’ meeting & pitch inspection, among other tasks, with help from match referee Raju Mukherjee. Adding to that memorable experience, Srinath’s first game on-field was a thriller as Tripura stunned Rajasthan with a famous victory.

“That was a fairytale start to my first-class career,” Srinath expressed. “I had to face the meeting with the captains all alone, get the rest of the things in place, and then walk into a game where I feel I shouldn't have started the game, and then everything panned out. That's how it all started off, and that's my first memory of my first first-class game.”

The Tamil Nadu native, who has also officiated on-field and as a fourth umpire in numerous IPL matches, and as a fourth umpire across formats of international cricket, draws insightful parallels between the arts of umpiring and that of playing cricket.

“Umpiring is like playing for me. It's a form game, like a batter or a bowler who finds form in the game, and he needs to continue hitting that purple patch for a long period of time. That's what umpiring also is all about. The way you start, it gives you that sort of confidence to finish well also. You will have off days wherein you get a few decisions wrong, and it’s about how you bounce back and do better in the days to come,” he explained.

Ahead of the monumental match, Srinath took the opportunity to thank key contributors in his journey, including the state associations he represented, the BCCI, and his colleagues over the years. But most importantly, he credited the long-lasting support of his wife.

Srinath will officiate in more matches going forward. But what will stay constant through the remainder of his journey is the meticulous nature of his preparation and the undying passion for cricket and for his work.

“So far in this long journey, there's not been a single day when I walked out from my room to the ground and I've found that I've missed out on a particular thing. That's something I take a lot of pride in. It's more about the preparation and the mental space you are in,” he highlighted.

- By Aayush Majumdar