After 40 years of listening to cricket's cry of 'Howzat' - first as a player and then as an umpire - Srinvasaraghavan Venkataraghavan is ready to step away from the international arena, albeit a little reluctantly. If he had his way, undoubtedly he would continue to stand in the middle.
But time has caught up with India's best known umpire. Turning 59 later this month, Venkat as he is known universally among cricketing circles, says he has had to retire from the International Cricket Council's elite panel of Test umpires because of his age and not because of ability. 'The Board of Control for Cricket in India says an umpire has to step down between 58 and 60. In England, the retiring age is 65 and that is why you see David Shepherd still continuing,' says Venkat, with perhaps just a hint of envy. The Tamil Nadu stalwart - he played from 1963 to 1985 - retired last month.
In town this weekend to celebrate the centenary of league cricket in Hong Kong - along with the Tamil Nadu team - Venkat is as watchful as ever when the Sunday Morning Post caught up with him.
The burning question is what is his views on Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. Is Murali a chucker or not, we ask Venkat. He is well qualified to answer as in his playing days, Venkat too was an off-spinner and as he has stood on plenty of occasions when Murali has been bowling.
'It is a touchy subject and very controversial. I don't want to comment too much at the moment because I want to see what action the ICC is going to take over Murali. But I can reveal that during my tenure as an umpire, I have reported quite a few players for chucking and Murali was one of them. This was much before he was called in Australia. Of course, the ICC cleared him after that,' he says.
The champion Sri Lanka bowler was reported by ICC match referee Chris Broad at the end of the last month's home series against Australia. Broad believes that Murali's controversial 'doosra' delivery was suspect.