By IANS,
New Delhi : Indian cricket board president Sharad Pawar described former Test umpire Ram Babu Gupta, who died in London Thursday, as one of the best officials produced by India.
“He was one of our best umpires ever. It is an irreplaceable loss,” Pawar said in a statement.
Gupta, 72, went to London to stay with his son.
The Delhi-based umpire officiated in 11 Tests and 24 One-Day Internationals from 1984 to 199.
Senior officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, umpires and players mourned Gupta’s death.
Among the notable matches Gupta officiated in was the final Test of the 1987-88 series against the West Indies. In that match, leg-spinner Narendra Hirwani took 16 wickets on his debut.
A few months prior to that game, Gupta figured in the umpires’ panel of the 1987 World Cup held in India and Pakistan. He stood in five matches in Pakistan and officiated in the World Cup final between Australia and England along with Pakistan’s Mahboob Shah at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Gupta also had a one-year stint as president of the Delhi District Cricket Association. He had been the treasurer of the association for the past eight years.