9 hours ago
Indian umpire JR Madangopal to make his on-field Test debut in SA-ZIM match
MUMBAI: In a boost for Indian umpiring, JR Madangopal will become only the second Indian umpire other than
Nitin Menon
to stand in Tests currently when he officiates in the first Test between Zimbabwe and South Africa from June 28-July 2, 2025 at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
While he has been named as the third umpire in a Test before, and officiated in 42 T20Is and 22 ODIs, this is the first time that the 50-year-old former Tamil Nadu batsman will be standing in the middle in the Test match. Nitin Menon, who is in the ICC Elite Panel, is the only Indian umpire presently who officiates in Test matches.
Madangopal is in the ICC Emerging Umpires Group. In the women's game, he has officiated in two Tests, 11 ODIs & seven T20Is.
Madangopal officiated in the IPL-2025 final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad. He played 33 first-class matches (1763 runs@35.26) and 37 List A matches (1189 runs@45.73).
