Archive

At the entrance of the Parsee Gymkhana in Bombay are displayed a set of bails used in the 1986 tied Test match in Madras between India and Australia, a thread cutter (used to repair the ball whenever needed) and a personal ball counter (for counting the balls and overs). Gifting these prized possessions along with a cassette of the Test match and blazer lapel to the Parsi Gymkhana in 2015, erstwhile international umpire Dara Nadirshaw Dotiwalla had written in an accompanying note, "These items are in my personal possession which I wish to donate to our Parsee Gymkhana to either preserve them or to display them in a showcase for young upcoming cricketers to observe and cherish as well as to remember the past. I am now aging with uncertain health problems. Hence these mementos will remain safe after me with Parsee Gymkhana for years to come.”
Suffering from chronic lumbar ailment for the last few years, the 85-year-old veteran passed away in Bombay on January 30, 2019. He had been instrumental in encouraging a number of umpires including me. During his career Dotiwalla officiated at six Test matches and nine one-day internationals apart from more than 50 first class matches. He had served as a member of the Umpires Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India and was vice president for several terms of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). On behalf of the International Cricket Council, Adrian Griffith, senior manager, Umpires and Referees, expressed "sincere condolences” to Dotiwalla’s family.
Dotiwalla was a field umpire for the Madras tied Test match when Kapil Dev’s Indian 11 were given a target of 348 runs by the Australian team. As related to me by him, India seemed to be on the way to victory when Australian skipper Allan Border deliberately slowed down the game to deprive India of victory. Disappointed with Border’s tactics which he felt were against the spirit of the game, he warned the captain that he would send him off the field if the overs rate did not improve. A stunned Border consulted his vice captain David Boon but both were unaware of the laws. There was no such law at that time but Dotiwalla’s threat worked to quicken things up and the last 20 overs were finished in good time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Senior sports journalist and author Gulu Ezekiel who was privileged to watch the famous tied Test match from the press box back in 1986 further recalls, "Dotiwalla was at square leg when his on-field colleague V. Vikramraju gave the fateful decision that saw the match end in a tie. Batsman Maninder Singh, controversially given out lbw (leg before wicket) and non-striker Ravi Shastri have disputed the decision ever since. But Dotiwalla dutifully stood by his colleague all these years.
"In 2001 during the third and final Test between India and Australia in Madras, there was a 15-year-old reunion match between the 1986 teams. When I approached Vikramraju about his decision he was a bit hesitant to answer, apparently as he was not very comfortable in English. It was Dotiwalla who stepped forward to defend him, something which struck me at the time as quite noble.”       
For the one-day World Cup in 1987 Dotiwalla was kept as a reserve umpire. The only match in Test history (against England) where both the umpires were Parsis — Dotiwalla and Pilloo Reporter — was played in Delhi from December 12 to 17, 1984. They were even appointed as stand-by umpires during the Reliance World Cup one-day matches played in Pakistan in 1987. Later, they were both appointed for the India vs New Zealand one-day match in Jammu as well. Unfortunately the match was washed out. It proved to be Dotiwalla’s last one-day match.
During his younger days, he played for the Sassanian and Windsor cricket clubs for nearly a decade as a wicketkeeper cum opening batsman in local tournaments of the MCA. He turned to umpiring in 1963 and passed the Ranji Trophy panel examination of BCCI. In view of his consistent performance as a field umpire in first class matches, he was promoted to the All India Panel of Umpires in 1972. Nearly a decade later he made it to the Test panel and was appointed umpire for the India vs England Test at Kanpur. He also acted as match referee for several seasons.
His knowledge on the laws of cricket and explanatory power was superb. In view of these abilities his services were continuously utilized after retirement by the BCCI and the MCA either as a paper setter or examiner or observer for the umpires’ examinations. On June 1, 1997, a joint benefit match for Dotiwalla and Reporter was organized in Valsad with the support of Dara Pochkhanawala of Bombay. But unfortunately rains washed out the match.
Dotiwalla’s guidance will continue to be valued by many young and upcoming umpires.