Kanpur-born Sunil Chaturvedi played 72 first-class matches and 16 List 'A' matches for UP in a career spanning 1979 to 1992.
Match referee Sunil Chaturvedi. Pic /Kamal Sharma
Lucknow: Christmas Day will bring former Uttar Pradesh cricketer Sunil Chaturvedi the distinction of becoming the first BCCI match referee to officiate in 100 first-class games when Delhi take on Hyderabad in a Ranji Trophy match at Kotla.
Kanpur-born Chaturvedi played 72 first-class matches and 16 List 'A' matches for UP in a career spanning 1979 to 1992. During the period, he captained UP and represented Central Zone. He was one of the first UP players to play local cricket in Mumbai with the likes of Sunil Gavaskar at Nirlon.
"I played with Gavaskar for Nirlon. Coming from Kanpur, it was a dream come true for me. I also played for Shivaji Park Youngsters. I have been with Union Bank in Mumbai for more than three decades," he said. Chaturvedi thanked the BCCI for providing him the opportunity to work as a match referee since January 1999.
"The job of a match referee is challenging. You need to handle situations delicately. It's the referee's responsibility to ensure the smooth conduct of the match and so he has to deal with each and every stakeholder—be it the players, team management, ground officials, organisers and anyone else associated with the match. Man management becomes crucial. You need to be fair, honest and follow the rule book at all times," he said.
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On his responsibilities as a referee, he said: "Maintaining the spirit of the game is a responsibility that rests on the referee's shoulders. He has to ensure everyone does his job and remains within the decided boundaries. Hence, experience becomes crucial. The more experience you have as a player and referee, the more likely you are of making the right judgment."
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