I want to continue to be as consistent as I was in my umpiring: Nitin Menon

When he became the third Indian umpire ever to be selected to the ICC Elite panel a few days ago, Nitin Menon also accomplished another feat. At 36, he is the youngest ever umpire to get the selection.Ask Nitin, who has roots in Kerala and lives in Indore about the same and he says, “I was not expecting to be an elite panel umpire this year. But, my performances in the past few years were quite consistent. I had thought, may be, it might happen next year or the year after. But, I guess, they saw what I did in the last four years and had confidence in me and that’s why the selection happened this year.” His dad Narendra Narayan Menon was also an umpire and Nitin, who was a cricket player to begin with, took the decision to follow his dad’s footsteps when he was 22. Why? He says, “Well, while I was playing, honestly, my performance was not up to the mark. I wasn’t getting selected for the first-class team of Madhya Pradesh either and I began losing my motivation to play further. In the year 2006, when BCCI conducted the umpiring exam almost after a gap of 10 years, my dad said I should probably give it a try. I did and got selected. Now, I really enjoy this job.”Try discussing with him how hectic an umpire’s job can get, and Nitin says, “Yes, it has its own pressures and expectations, but it’s the best seat to watch the game! In fact, I have enjoyed every single match I was on and also being with the players.” However, he holds one recent memory special. "Last year’s IPL final had some memorable moments. I had to give a decision on the last ball to decide who the winner was. It was a situation filled with utmost pressure, to give an accurate decision,” says the umpire, referring to his LBW decision off Mumbai Indians' Lasith Malinga's over when Chennai Superkings needed two runs to win off the final ball.The influence of technology in sports is an oft discussed topic; ask Nitin the same on umpiring and he says, “In fact, I believe it's great to use technology to make accurate decisions, it isn’t something that puts you under pressure. If there is a manual error and the technology corrects it, everyone is happy at the end of the day. The game, team, everyone stands to benefit.”His selection has happened at a time in which nobody is sure when the next tournament is scheduled. But Nitin says that doesn’t bother him. “All I want is to perform well, whenever I get my next opportunity. And I think matches might start by September, and we might even have IPL by then,” says the umpire, who says all that he dreams of is to be consistent in his performance. “Nothing extra, I want to continue with consistency,” he says.Nitin, whose dad hails from Thrissur and mom from Aluva, comes to Kochi at least once in two years to visit his grandmother. “I love Kerala food, especially the fish curry,” he says with a smile.