Why C Shamshuddin took over as third umpire instead of Nitin Menon who was the fourth umpire

Despite England scoring 400 in the first innings and Ravichandran Ashwin’s six-wicket haul, it was the blow to umpire Paul Reiffel’s head and the controversy surrounding Ben Stokes’ dismissal that has dominated the headlines in the fourth Test between India and England at Mumbai.

After Keaton Jennings worked Ashwin into the leg side, Bhuvneshwar Kumar lobbed a throw towards Cheteshwar Pujara but the throw didn’t have enough power and hit the Australian umpire Reiffel on the back of his head and the medical staff immediately rushed to the pitch.

Extra Cover: Bhuvneshwar Kumar hits umpire Paul Reiffel on the back of his head with a throw

The play was held up for more than 10 minutes before the drinks break was taken and third umpire Marais Erasmus took the 50-year-old’s place on the pitch. The Aussie umpire was then taken to the hospital for a CT scan, which was clear, so he returned to the Wankhede Stadium on day one but was advised rest for the remainder of the day.

UPDATE: ICC however announced that Paul Reiffel will be replaced by Erasmus for the remainder of the Test.

As Marais Erasmus took to the field, the third umpire’s seat was vacant and while it should have been filled in by the designated fourth umpire for the game, Nitin Menon, it was C Shamshuddin, who had officiated in ODIs and was only at the ground as part of a programme to train local umpires on DRS took over as the third umpire, due to his experience with DRS protocols.

Here is what Law 3 (The Umpires).2 pertaining to the change of umpire says:

An umpire shall not be changed during the match, other than in exceptional circumstances, unless he is injured or ill. If there has to be a change of umpire, the replacement shall act only as striker’s end umpire unless the captains agree that he should take full responsibility as an umpire.

While the fourth umpire is often dismissed by fans as the two on-field umpires and the third umpire are the ones who do all the main duties, his role is crucial as was evident in this case. In case of any injury or another unavoidable reason due to which one of the on-field umpire has to leave the field, the third umpire will take his place on the field while the fourth umpire takes over as the third umpire.

In ths case, however, the fourth umpire, Nitin Menon, who was responsibly for maintaining the pitch and handling the change of balls and also guarding the pitch during the lunch and tea breaks, didn’t automatically take his place as the third umpire and it was a more experienced umpire, who wasn’t there on an official capacity that took over.

That is, strictly speaking, against the laws of the game and that fact is something that would have bothered England especially after Ben Stokes’ controversial dismissal early on day two off R Ashwin’s bowling, which didn’t amuse the all-rounder.

After India reviewed a catch, the third umpire, Shamshuddin, had a look at the Ultra Edge which showed a spike that could have either been from the bat hitting the ground or the ball passing the outside edge and taking a nick, which happened at the same time, and decided he had enough evidence to overturn the original decision of Not Out.

Extra Cover: Follow all the action from the fourth Test

As far as the match is concerned, England were bowled out for 400, a score with which they are likely to be both happy and disappointed at the same time. In response, India’s openers have got the hosts off to a solid start before KL Rahul was dismissed by Moeen Ali.

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