Former Australian umpire Simon Taufel, regarded as one of the best the cricketing world has ever seen, has named three Indian cricketers who would have been great as umpires. Being one of the best in the business, Simon was rich with knowledge of the game, and he has seen many finest brains out there.
Simon, who stood behind the wickets in many memorable matches, including the 2011 World Cup, reckoned that Indian batting icon Virat Kohli, veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, and legendary opener Virender Sehwag would excel at the job of umpiring.
The five-time ICC Umpire of the year award winner also named former South African pacer Morne Morkel as someone who has shown interest in taking up umpiring.
“You have really got to have a personality and desire to want to do it. I’ve spoken to some players like Morne Morkel, who’s been interested in taking up umpiring, but as I said before, it’s not for everyone, but I’d love to see Virender Sehwag, maybe even Virat Kohli or Ravichandran Ashwin take it up. They seem to be very well on top of the laws and playing conditions of the game at the moment,” Taufel told News9.
Simon, who umpired in 74 Tests, 174 ODIs, and 34 T20Is, further revealed that he had once urged Sehwag to take up the job but claimed the explosive opener told him that it is not what he wants to do.
“I remember putting it on his head a few years ago, and I’m challenging Virender to take it up because he is used to umpire next to me standing at square leg and telling me what was out what not was out. But he subsequently said no, that’s not what he wants to do,” added Simon.
