The ongoing Ranji Trophy finals between Saurashtra and Bengal at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot already had its fair share of controversy with a life-less pitch on offer.
Moreover, another instance from the finals raised quite a few eyebrows as only a single umpire is officiating from both ends.
During play on Day 1, umpire Chettithody Shamsuddin was hit on the lower abdomen area, after one of the fielders passed the ball post dismissal of the batsman. The injury to the umpire forced him to remain out of action in the first session of Day 2.
It meant that KN Ananthapadmanabhan had to officiate from both ends in the match, while Piyush Kakkar stood at square leg throughout the entirety.
Due to the various responsibilities of the third umpire, Sundaram Ravi was not able to deploy himself on the ground.
According to the laws of domestic cricket in India, only two umpires are deployed for officiating the match. The third umpire plays the dual role of match referee as well as the controllers of six cameras overlooking the game for DRS appeals.
As opposed to the role of the fourth umpire in the international game, when an umpire is injured or feels unhealthy, the liaison officer for umpires and match referee replaces them. These are usually local umpires on the ground deployed by State Association.
