India’s S Ravi set to be removed from ICC’s Elite Panel of Umpires

India’s Sundaram Ravi was promoted to the Elite Panel of Umpires way back in 2015 and after 11 years since the legendary S Venkatraghavan’s retirement in 2004, an umpire from India was selected in the top panel. However, now, S Ravi is all set to be axed when the new panel gets announced after the upcoming World Cup in England and Wales that is set to start on May 30.

As per reports, the decision was zeroed in on at the ICC Umpires Committee meeting on April 24 even as he was chosen as one of the 16 umpires at the World Cup. There is still no official announcement about the same. Last year, India’s C Shamshuddin was removed from the ICC Emerging Panel. The ICC is also planning to remove the Emerging Panel on the whole as it doesn’t allow the global body to look beyond the six umpires who are included there.

“The Elite panel is a tough place to survive with so much competition and high-pressure, top-level games. Ravi was lying at the bottom in the report card prepared over the last couple of years for the 12 elite level umpires,” an official close to the development was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Criticism from Virat Kohli

Previously, Ravi came under fire in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) after he failed to spot a no-ball bowled by Mumbai Indians fast bowler Lasith Malinga. The incident took place in the last ball of the contest between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Mumbai at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and RCB skipper Virat Kohli lashed out at the umpire for the massive goof-up.

“We are playing IPL level, not club cricket. That’s a ridiculous call off the last ball. The umpires should have their eyes open, it was a no-ball by an inch,” Kohli mentioned after the game.

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