Of Butterflies, Right Calls And A Little Hindi: Australian Umpire Ben Treloar On His First Ranji Trophy Stint

The butterflies were already there before Ben Treloar stepped onto the field. Driving to the ground on the morning of his first-ever first-class match in India, the Australian umpire had a familiar game ahead of him but an unfamiliar cricketing world to navigate.

By the time Treloar walked out at Delhi’s Palam Stadium for the Ranji Trophy fixture between Delhi and Gujarat last week, the nerves had given way to the business of umpiring. The appeals, the decisions and the rhythm of a four-day game were familiar territory. The setting, however, was anything but.

Sporting a white shirt, black trousers and a white hat, Treloar was among the unfamiliar faces on the Indian domestic circuit. A regular in Australia’s domestic cricket, he had travelled to India as part of the umpire exchange programme between Cricket Australia (CA) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), an initiative that gives match officials an opportunity to experience cricket beyond their home conditions.

Speaking exclusively to Outlook India, Treloar recalled the mix of nerves and excitement that accompanied his first assignment.

“Driving to the ground on the first morning, I was a little bit nervous and anxious, but I really just wanted to get the game underway and get stuck into it,” he said. “It's something I've been striving for and hoping to get an opportunity to do one day. When it was becoming a reality, it felt like something I'd worked hard for over many, many years.”

Different Pitches, Different Challenges

Having officiated in Australia’s Sheffield Shield competition, Treloar was accustomed to conditions that often offer pace and bounce. His first experience of a black-soil surface in Delhi, however, presented a different proposition.

While the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is known for its pace and bounce, with spin often becoming a greater factor as matches progress, the Delhi pitch was lower and slower. For an umpire, such differences matter: the surface influences how bowlers operate, how batters respond and the kinds of decisions that come into play.

“With the SCG, you've got pace and bounce. Obviously, it does turn and is known for being a spinning pitch, but that happens a lot later in the game,” he said. “The pitch in Delhi, with the black soil, was a little bit lower and slower. That was the main difference between the pitches.”

The adjustment was not limited to the playing surface. The structure of a day’s play in India also differs from what Treloar is used to back home, with longer opening sessions and a shorter final session.

“In India, the first session is two-and-a-half hours, followed by two hours and then one-and-a-half hours, with an extra half-hour available to complete the overs,” he said. “In Australia, we've got two hours, two hours and 15 minutes, and then an hour and 45 minutes.”

Rather than viewing the difference as an inconvenience, Treloar found the Indian schedule enjoyable.

“I really enjoyed those slightly different session timings here in India. Having the two-and-a-half-hour opening session, followed by a good break for lunch, then coming out for another two hours and having a shorter session later in the afternoon was quite enjoyable,” he added.

Loud Appeals, Animated Fielders

For anyone accustomed to watching Indian domestic cricket, the enthusiasm of fielders appealing for wickets is hardly a surprise. With spinners often coming into the game early on surfaces that offer assistance, the volume on the field can rise quickly.

Treloar, however, was not interested in treating that energy as a distraction. He saw it as an integral part of the experience, one he had anticipated before arriving in India.

“That's something you embrace, I think. You're aware of it because you see it on television. You see how they play the game, and that's great. That's the way they do it,” he said.

The key, he explained, was to remain focused on the decision rather than the noise surrounding it.

“When those appeals are coming at you, you've just got to embrace them. We're just answering a question. Don't shy away from it at all. That's all part of the challenge as well.”

The spinners, in particular, came into play sooner than he might have expected in Australia, but that, too, was part of adapting to a new environment.

“With the spinners in these games here, they came into play a little bit quicker than what we might have back home. So, I knew it was going to happen, and I just embraced that challenge and the opportunity when it arrived,” he said.

A Little Hindi Goes A Long Way

Adjusting to the conditions was one thing. Building a rapport with players from a different cricketing culture was another, though Treloar found the transition easier than he had anticipated.

He was impressed by how comfortably he could communicate with Indian cricketers in English, allowing conversations on the field to develop naturally.

“I'm really impressed with how good everyone's English is here in India. It wasn't tough at all to have a conversation with players on the field,” he said. “We understood each other, we could have a chat, and that was another really interesting part of the experience last week.”

Treloar had also made an effort to learn some basic Hindi before travelling, a small gesture that reflected his desire to meet players halfway rather than expect them to do all the adapting.

“I learned a little bit of Hindi before I came over, just some basic things. A couple of little things to show that we're trying as well. It's not just about expecting people here to know English. We need to know India as well, just to help those conversations,” he said.

Why India Doesn't Need To Become Australia

Having experienced two domestic cricket systems first-hand, Treloar was clear that neither needed to imitate the other.

Asked whether Indian domestic cricket could benefit from adopting aspects of Australia’s system, he argued that playing conditions and match-day arrangements had to reflect the environments in which the game was played. Transplanting practices wholesale, he suggested, could alter the character of the cricket itself.

“If you brought significant changes from Australia to India, or India to Australia, it might change how the game is played. I think the playing conditions in Australia and the playing conditions here are conducive to really good games of cricket,” he said.

He also backed those responsible for framing the conditions in both countries, pointing to their experience and understanding of what works in their respective domestic competitions.

“Those who are making the playing conditions are doing a very, very good job. They're very experienced, and they understand what cricket in each of the countries needs. So, for me, I wouldn't change anything at all,” he added.