Vrinda Rathi Creates History as First Indian Woman to Officiate ICC Women's World Cup Final

Key Takeaways:

• Vrinda Rathi is set to become the first Indian woman umpire to officiate in the Women’s World Cup Final.
• She has been picked as one of the two on-field umpires for the England vs Australia final at The Lord’s.
• Rathi is only the second Indian umpire overall to officiate in an ICC World Cup final.

The Indian women’s cricket team’s journey in the Women T20 World Cup may have been disappointing for the fans after they failed to qualify for the semi-final stage, but the nation will not be entirely absent from the showpiece occasion. India will be represented in the ultimate clash in an historic fashion.

The representation comes from Vrinda Rathi, who is on the cusp of making history. The umpire from Navi Mumbai has been chosen to officiate in the final match by the sport’s governing body. She will be one of the two on-field umpires for the finals between the hosts, England and the six-time champions Australia at the iconic The Lord’s cricket ground on Sunday. She will be joined by West Indian umpire Jacqueline Williams in the middle.

Rathi to make a groundbreaking appearance

The significance of Rathi’s selection cannot be overstated. She becomes the first ever Indian woman umpire to officiate in a Women’s World Cup Final and only the second Indian umpire overall to stand in an ICC World Cup Final, after Ram Babu Gupta in 1987.

Before becoming an umpire, Rathi, the 37-year-old was a player herself and she represented Mumbai University’s team for four years as a medium-pace bowler. Having failed to make her place in the Mumbai senior Ranji team during the playing days, she decided to take up umpiring.

One of the key figures in her umpiring journey was former BCCI umpire Ganesh Iyer, who spotted her immense potential early. “She was a scorer originally. Then, she became an umpire at my insistence. You can have a career in umpiring, I told her,” Iyer told TOI about the early days of her career.

Rathi cleared the umpires’ exam conducted by the Mumbai Cricket Association in 2014 before passing the BCCI exam in 2018, and within one year, Iyer noted that she was promoted to the ICC Development Panel.