U.P’s first cricket umpire on BCCI panel TD Mukerjee passes away

Popularly known as ‘TD Daada’ throughout his life, Mukerjee passed away at a city hospital on Wednesday due to multi-organ failure.

Uttar Pradesh’s first-ever umpire on the panel of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Tarak Das Mukerjee breathed his last in Varanasi on Tuesday afternoon. He was 89 and had suffered a head injury only a few months back.

TD Mukerjee (left) with Nawab Pataudi. (File photo)

Popularly known as ‘TD Daada’ throughout his life, Mukerjee passed away at a city hospital on Wednesday due to multi-organ failure, his close association, and a former umpire Mukul Ghosh said. Mukerjee, who didn’t marry and devoted his life to the gentlemen’s game, holds the record of doing umpiring for a long duration of 43 years, between 1953 to 1996.

A former wicket-keeper batter of his time, TD met former Ranji Trophy cricketer and deputy director (sports) Neeru Kapoor in 1962 during an inter-district match in Allahabad and since then they became good friends. “Even during my posting in Varanasi, we used to discuss a lot about cricket and TD always talked positively about the game,” said Kapoor. “He (TD) was a true gentleman and a good umpire too.”

“TD Daada was the one who had declared me pass in the state panel scoring exam in 70’s and he used to take me on his cycle in Varanasi whenever I visited the holy city,” recalls former international scorer Saurabh Chaturvedi on Wednesday.

“He (TD) was a great teacher as well as fine umpire too. We did so many domestic matches together and learnt a lot from him,” Chaturvedi further said.

TD became the state panel umpire only in 1966, before graduating to the Ranji Trophy panel in 1972. Thereafter, there was no looking back for him as he then became the first umpire from Uttar Pradesh to join the elite group of BCCI panel in 1982.

As per his bio- details, TD remained umpire in 25 Ranji Trophy matches from 1973 to 1991, did umpiring in three Duleep Trophy matches, three Wills Trophy games, three under-19 international matches and five women’s Test matches.

Besides this, TD did umpiring in as many as 51 matches of the Rohinton Baria Trophy, which was India’s premier inter-university cricket tournament; three Vizzy Trophy matches and remained umpires head at the prestigious Sheesh Mahal Trophy for 25 years.

Only last year, Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association had given a sum of ₹50,000 to TD as one-time help provided to all its former umpires and scorers, even though TD was vocal for a regular pension of ₹10,000 to everyone.