Former international umpire Piloo Reopter passed away in Mumbai due to illness on Sunday. He was suffering from cerebral contusion disease and was survived by his wife and two daughters.
The veteran stood in 14 Tests and 22 ODIs in a 28-year-long and illustrious career. Apart from this, he was part of the 1992 World Cup umpire’s squad and was known for his nimble signaling of a boundary. He started his career as an umpire in the Ranji Trophy before eventually making the move to international matches.
Former Indian Umpire Piloo Reporter passed away at the age of 84.
— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) September 3, 2023
He stood in 14 Tests and 22 ODIs as an umpire(including in World Cup 1992, where he was the only Indian umpire).
Started his career at an early age of 29 in Ranji Trophy, he became the first pair of neutral… pic.twitter.com/BMbQICgmi7
Piloo Reopter was one of the first two umpires in the history of international cricket and featured with fellow VK Ramaswamy in the 1986 test match played between Pakistan and the West Indies at Lahore.
Imran Khan, the Pakistani captain, recommended the change due to worries about the claims of bias by the home umpires. Before making it official two years later, the ICC first tried out one neutral umpire in Test cricket in 1992.
Heard about the passing away of #PilooReporter. His milkshake boundary signal was so catchy.
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) September 3, 2023
My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
Coincidentally,Pillo reporter was also the umpire during Heath Streak’s ODI debut .
May God give strength & courage to their families pic.twitter.com/Kqu4dqFzoU
The reporter was working for the Maharashtra State Electricity Board before beginning to officiate matches. That’s when the Bombay Cricket Association posted an ad looking for new umpires. While he did not succeed in the tests at the time, after a certain period he was roped in as an umpire in local matches, and he eventually made his way into Ranji and international cricket.
Sad to hear about the passing away of Shri Piloo Reporter, the first among neutral umpires.
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) September 3, 2023
His eccentric boundary signals were a delight to watch.
Heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/aISGN3GDiD
In 1984, when England was touring India, Piloo Reporter started off as an international umpire in Delhi. Malcolm Marshall, Viv Richards, and Imran Khan were just a few of the prominent cricketers he regularly debated and never once felt intimidated by them.
In 2021, he was given Rs 75,000 by the Cricketers Foundation in an effort to help the unsung heroes of Mumbai cricket and for his services to the Indian cricket community.
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