Piloo Reporter was one of the most reputed international umpires of his times. He was born in Bombay (now Mumbai) in Maharashtra, on 24th September 1938. His unique style of signalling a boundary became an instant hit with the crowds just like Billy Bowden`s mannerisms today. Piloo`s career as began at a relatively young age of 23 when he stood in the Kanga League competition in 1961. He umpired in many local leagues and district matches. Later, he also got a chance to stand in his first Ranji tie in the 1967-68 seasons. In the years to come, he regularly featured in Irani and Duleep Trophy games too. It was only a matter of time before he progressed to the big stage. And that moment arrived in 1984 when he made his international debut as an umpire in an ODI between India and Australia at Delhi`s Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.
Incidentally, the match was the first day-night encounter to take place in India. He stood on in first Test at Delhi when England toured India. Reporter and V.K. Ramaswamy became the first pair of neutral umpires to stand in a Test match since 1912. This was in the series between Pakistan and West Indies in 1986-87. He was the only Indian umpire to be selected for the 1992 World Cup held in Australia/New Zealand. Reporter was respected by players the world over for his unbiased umpiring. He stood in 14 Tests, the last of which was in 1992-93. But his love for the game had not diminished. He still continued to umpire in some Kanga League and other leagues at the district levels. He later wrote a book named "An Umpire Remembers".
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