The Legends League Cricket, which boasts of some of the former international stars, kicked off on January 20 in Oman. While watching these legends in action is a treat to the eyes, there was another aspect in this tournament, which has taken fans and viewers by a pleasant surprise. The tournament will see an all-women match official team, including four-match umpires and one match referee. India’s Shubhda Bhosle Gaikwad, South Africa’s Lauren Agenbag, Pakistan’s Humaira Farah, and Hong Kong’s Renee Montgomery will be the match umpires while South Africa’s Shandre Fritz is chosen as the match referee.
Among these match officials, one name that garnered attention in recent times is that of India’s Shubhda Bhosle Gaikwad. Shubhda, who is based out of Gwalior, a city in Madhya Pradesh, is India’s youngest woman umpire. Hailing from a family of cricketers, the Bhosle scioness decided to pursue a career in cricket. Shubhda’s father Ajit Bhosle is a cricket coach and uncle Shrikant Bhosle is a former Ranji player of Madhya Pradesh state team. With cricket running in her blood, it was perhaps the obvious choice for Shubhda to make a career in cricket.
Read the Full Interview of Shubhda Bhosle Gaikwad here.
Prior to opting a career in match officiating, Shubhda played for Madhya Pradesh U-16 and U-19 till 2009. She was inspired by her brother, who represented Vidarbha state team, to take up professional cricket. Being a player herself, her experiences on the field as a player and in the dressing room could have worked in favour of choosing match umpiring as a career.
With strong support of her family members before marriage and later with her husband Sujay being her pillar of strength, Shubhda could realize her dreams. She is well-educated and well-qualified with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Physical Education and a PhD in Sport Psychology. She has also completed her Level O umpiring exam. Her first match as a match umpire was during the J.S. Anand Trophy which is a part of Women’s Senior Division Cricket in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in 2012.
As they say, “Behind every successful man there is a woman”, in the case of Shubhda, one can take the liberty of saying that, “Behind this successful woman there are men, including her father, uncle, brother and husband.”
Read the Full Interview of Shubhda Bhosle Gaikwad here.
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.
