Balaji Kumar in the middle as an umpire it was a momentous occasion.

First time: Balaji Kumar made his International debut in the Malaysia-China contest, and completed the match without any hassles and controversies as most good umpires do.
| Photo Credit: M. VEDHAN

CHENNAI

On a muggy Friday evening at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium here at the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament, Malaysia and China are playing against each other.

It is just another day for both the teams trying to get maximum points. But for Balaji Kumar in the middle as an umpire it was a momentous occasion.

The 34-year-old from Tamil Nadu makes his International debut in the Malaysia-China contest, and goes on to complete the match without any hassles and controversies as most good umpires do.

“I am very happy to umpire in my first International match at my home State. I was enthusiastic but didn’t get nervous. It was a proud moment. I knew it would happen but didn’t expect it to happen in my home state,” Balaji told The Hindu later.

Hailing from Sangagiri (town in Salem), Balaji did his schooling in the town and undergraduate in Chennai (Loyola) and post-graduation in Coimbatore before settling down in the textile city.

Surprisingly, it was not in Coimbatore that he started his first umpiring. Rather in Singapore.

“I went to Singapore to do a course in Hospitality Management. At that time, I did umpiring for Singapore league and played for Singapore Recreation Club. “It was a very good experience. I learnt quite a few things,” said Balaji, who is a fitness trainer.

Balaji returned to Coimbatore more determined in 2012-13, and wanted to make it to the top in umpiring what he couldn’t achieve as a player. He worked his way quietly, doing several schools tournaments and league for three years. From 2017, he did inter-district matches, and quite a few All-India tournaments and Nationals in Goa, Kovilpatti and Delhi, which provided Hockey India officials to have a glimpse of his potential.

Balaji did duty at the Senior Nationals in Pune in 2021-22 where he learnt to master the art of not getting nervous and getting communication right.

Knowing that this is his passion, Balaji went through the rules and regulations on a regular basis and consulted his seniors including Muneer Mohammad, R.V. Raghuprasad and Javed Shaikh to finetune his skills. “Munir [Technical Officer of Asian Champions Trophy here] is a veteran, very strong with rules. Internationals, Raghu and Javed sir are always there when I have clarifications and doubts. A special thanks to Sekar J. Manoharan, president of Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu,” Balaji said.

Balaji is keen to do bigger events like the World Cup and Olympics in the future. The journey has well and truly begun.