News24 Exclusive: The veteran International Umpire Anil Chaudhary has announced his retirement from international cricket and IPL. Chaudhary who started his umpiring career in 2013 has officiated in 12 Tests, 49 ODIs and 131 IPL matches. Overall, he has stood as umpire in 91 first-class games, 114 List A and 28 T20s.

In this exclusive interview with News24’s Aditya Mallick, Anil Chaudhary has spoken about his journey in his umpiring days in International games as well as in IPL games. He also talked about MS Dhoni’s brilliance and about how his idol influenced him to pursue him to umpire in cricket.

Anil Chaudhary Interview: Excerpts

Recently, we have seen the rules have been changed in IPL, in the ongoing IPL, So how do you think using Hawkeye technology for wide and no balls will affect empire decisions in this IPL?

• The frame rate of Hawkeye cameras is very high, which increases accuracy. For ball tracking, they also use these cameras, which have a frame rate of almost 500 frames per second, providing accurate decision-making.

What are your thoughts on lifting the ban on saliva to shine the ball?

• I believe these bowlers have been doing this since childhood, so it’s very difficult to change their habits. In fact, it’s challenging to manage in other sports as well, since people develop such habits. As long as bowlers stay within the guidelines, it’s acceptable. Of course, they shouldn’t overdo it, which was the case under the previous rule as well. Now, we’re returning to the normal rules, similar to the pre-COVID period.

This time we are seeing that you are not umpiring in this IPL season, So is there any specific reason for that?

• I’ve come to a stage where I had to make a choice between umpiring and doing something else, such as taking my career into commentary. In the last 7-8 months, I’ve moved into commentary and broadcasting, fueled by the increasing popularity of podcasts and learning more about the game. I started my commentary career on Akashvani during the World Cup and the Sri Lanka series, then shifted to Jiostar, where I started commenting in Haryanvi and Hindi.

• If necessary, I was also able to do commentary in English, mainly for umpiring. The feedback I’ve been getting has been wonderful, and people have appreciated the different way of looking at things that I have to offer. Whereas other pundits, who are predominantly ex-players, share a similar approach, mine is different. I concentrate on the umpiring aspect of the game—swiftly recognizing rules, knowing player relationships, and being able to spot situations that may create tension. I add a narrative element that provides a new twist, which has been well received by viewers.

Also Read: IPL 2025: KKR Vs RCB Match To Get CANCELLED? IMD Issues Orange Alert In Kolkata!

During matches, we often see players vocally appealing for decisions. If a decision turns out to be wrong, do the players ever discuss it or interact with the umpires to address the issue?

• I think if an umpire is good and has a good image in the eyes of players, there’s no problem. Since the introduction of DRS, the game has relaxed, and arguments are normally calm, never aggressive. In my experience, nobody has ever become aggressive, even when there is an umpire’s decision. It’s now part of the game. So long as the majority of your decisions are correct, players don’t complain about the odd wrong call. They even sometimes hazard a guess as to whether it’s out or not, particularly when they’re in doubt. But with DRS, there are no big problems for me thus far.

When you’re umpiring and someone like MS Dhoni is behind the stumps, how do you challenge yourself in that situation? Given that Dhoni is known for challenging umpire decisions when he feels it’s necessary, how do you handle that?

• No, Dhoni is very good with DRS. But generally, my calls were right. I believe there were only two occasions where the call had to be reversed, but apart from that, I was pretty accurate. There were occasions when he agreed with me as well.

You’ve been umpiring for so long. So who’s been your umpiring idol?

• I started umpiring after being motivated by Dr. Ram Babu Gupta, a retired Indian Test umpire who had umpired six consecutive India-Pakistan matches. Even after retirement, he motivated me to take up umpiring, inquiring, “Anil, what will you do after playing?” He advised me to take time to concentrate on umpiring. Subsequently, my 10-year stay in Thailand as a professional also inspired me, as I was still attached to the game, having begun as a player.

• Nobody starts off as an umpire; we all begin as players. I think that my education also contributed towards me passing the umpiring exams. Also, one of my club members, who was already umpiring, encouraged me. Early on, I got good feedback and many said that I could deal with players nicely and in a fair manner compared to other umpires. This was some of the positive feedback I got from senior umpires and fellow umpires.

What are your future plans?

• Recently, I launched an online program called Voice and Verdict, along with his YouTube channel Umpires Called by Anil Chaudhary. In Voice and Verdict, I will be training commentators and umpires online, alongside experts like Sushil Doshi, Ajay Mehra, Reema Malhotra, Shamsuddin, and Pashtim Pathak. This online program will begin on April 15th.

• Additionally, I will be doing commentary for Jiostar and hosting a few short shows before and after games with news channels and RJ Raunak.

Also Read: News24 English IPL 2025 Dream Fantasy 11: What Will Be The Predicted Playing 11 In SRH Vs RR Match?