Swaroop Kishen died in Delhi, aged 62, from cancer. Swaroop' s service of having stood in 17 Test matches is an Indian record (shared with B. Satyaji Rao). His first was at Bangalore in December 1978, a match cut short by civil unrest. In the next, at Madras, he and colleague J. D. Ghosh were criticised for allowing far too many bouncers to be bowled while India and West Indies traded blows. A year later, at Bangalore again, Swaroop, his fellow umpire and the players had to throw themselves to the ground when swarms of bees raided the stadium.
He saw at close hand numerous Test records achieved, many of them by Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, and not until his 13th Test, at Kanpur in 1983-84, did he officiate in a Test which India lost. At Calcutta, in the fourth Test of the 1981-82 series against England, Swaroop stood in a match which attracted almost 400,000 spectators throughout its five days, a world record. A further niche was carved at Bombay in 1983-84 when he erased any feeling of indecision felt by his colleague M. V. Gothoskar after an Indian appeal against Haynes for handling the ball. It became only the fourth such dismissal in Test history.
With his huge girth lending him a Sydney Greenstreet profile, Swaroop Kishen was perhaps the most instantly recognisable umpire ever to take the field in a Test match, notwithstanding one or two extroverts of recent years, and a rear view of him was chosen to grace the dustjacket of The Men in White Coats (1987), Teresa McLean' s book on umpires and umpiring.
Born on July 13, 1930, Swaroop Kishen Reu kept wicket and batted while at Delhi University. Trained in Law, he brought an analytical mind to his cricket as well as to his work in the Auditor-General's Office. Firm on the field (he once put Imran Khan in his place), he also had a sense of humour. It must have been useful as he rode his bicycle around town, `folds of flesh raping the vehicle' as one observed noted. Swaroop was also renowned as a chewer of tobacco. His last Test as umpire was at Bombay in 1984-85, when David Gower led England. He was awarded the Padma Shri for his services.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Swaroop Kishen's first Test was at Bangalore in December 1978, a match cut short by civil unrest. In the next, at Madras, he and colleague J. D. Ghosh were criticised for allowing far too many bouncers to be bowled while India and West Indies traded blows. A year later, at Bangalore again, Swaroop, his fellow umpire and the players had to throw themselves to the ground when swarms of bees raided the stadium.
He saw at close hand numerous Test records achieved, many of them by Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, and not until his 13th Test, at Kanpur in 1983-84, did he officiate in a Test which India lost. At Calcutta, in the fourth Test of the 1981-82 series against England, Swaroop stood in a match which attracted almost 400,000 spectators throughout its five days, a world record. A further niche was carved at Bombay in 1983-84 when he erased any feeling of indecision felt by his colleague M. V. Gothoskar after an Indian appeal against Haynes for handling the ball. It became only the fourth such dismissal in Test history.
With his huge girth lending him a Sydney Greenstreet profile, Swaroop Kishen was perhaps the most instantly recognisable umpire ever to take the field in a Test match, notwithstanding one or two extroverts of recent years, and a rear view of him was chosen to grace the dustjacket of The Men in White Coats (1987), Teresa McLean's book on umpires and umpiring.
Born on July 13, 1930, Swaroop Kishen Reu kept wicket and batted while at Delhi University. Trained in Law, he brought an analytical mind to his cricket as well as to his work in the Auditor-General's Office. Firm on the field (he once put Imran Khan in his place), he also had a sense of humour. It must have been useful as he rode his bicycle around town, 'folds of flesh draping the vehicle' as one observer noted. Swaroop was also renowned as a chewer of tobacco. His last Test as umpire was at Bombay in 1984-85, when David Gower led England. He was awarded the Padma Shri for his services.
David Frith, Wisden Cricket Monthly
