Nitin Menon is an Indian umpire and former right-handed batsman. He belongs to a family of cricketers and hit the headlines by becoming the youngest umpire to be inducted into the ICC (International Cricket Council) Elite Panel of Umpires in 2020.
Wiki/Biography
Nitin Menon was born on Wednesday, 2 November 1983 (age 39 years; as of 2022) in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. His zodiac sign is Scorpio. Nitin completed his higher secondary education at St. Paul Higher Secondary School in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, and then pursued an MBA.
St. Paul Higher Secondary School where Nitin has studied
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 7″
Weight (approx.): 65 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Nitin belongs to the Menon family of the Hindu Nair community of Thrissur, Kerala, India.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Narendra Narayan Menon, was a former cricketer and umpire; he also worked with the State Bank of India. Nitin’s mother belongs to Aluva, Kerala. Nitin has a brother, Nikhil Menon, he is also an umpire and officiates in domestic matches.
Nikhil’s father and son
Wife & Children
Nitin Menon is married to Sangeeta; she is a banking professional from Chengannur, Kerala, India. The couple has a son named Hrishabh.
Nitin Menon with his wife, Sangeeta
Nikhil Menon with his son, Hrishabh, and father, Narendra
Career
Player
Nitin Menon represented the Madhya Pradesh team in List-A cricket. He played two matches in Ranji One-Day Trophy; Madhya Pradesh vs Vidarbha on 8 January 2004, and Madhya Pradesh vs Uttar Pradesh on 9 January 2004. He also played in Under-16, Under-19, and under-23 categories.
Nitin Menon playing Gully cricket
Umpire
Following his father’s footsteps, Nitin became a state-panel umpire in Madhya Pradesh in 2005. He cleared the BCCI All-India Umpiring Exam in 2006 and began supervising domestic matches in the 2007-08 season. He made his international debut on 26 January 2017, during the England vs India Twenty20 match at the Green Park Stadium Kanpur. This was part of the England tour of India, a 3-match series that India won by 2-1. Nitin took charge as a TV (third) umpire on the second day of the series.
Nitin Menon instructing the players during a match
Nitin made his ODI (One Day International) debut on March 15, 2017, during Afghanistan vs Ireland match at Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground. He supervised as the TV umpire on the second day of the 3-match series. On November 27, 2019, Nitin made his test match debut during Afghanistan vs West Indies match at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow and became the 62nd test match umpire from India.
Nitin Menon gave out to a player in a match
In October 2018, Nitin was selected as one of the 12 on-field umpires for the 2018 ICC Women’s World Twenty20. He also umpired on-field during the Indian Premier League 2019. However, during the 2021 season, he had to leave midway because his mother and wife tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. In February 2020, the ICC (International Cricket Council) appointed him to supervise matches at the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia.
Nitin Menon umpiring in an IPL match
In June 2020, at the age of 36, Nitin was promoted to the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires. He replaced England’s Nigel Llong and became the third Indian umpire to join the panel. Upon his selection, in an interview, he said,
It’s a great honour and matter of pride for me to be named in the Elite panel. To be officiating regularly along with the leading umpires and referees of the world is something that I always dreamt of and the feeling has yet to sink in.”
Menon was lauded by the cricket fraternity for his umpiring during England’s tour of India in March 2021.
We have to give credit where it’s due and this whole series ,if there has been a revelation, thy name is “NITIN MENON”.He’s been phenomenally consistent and I hope he gets the best umpire award for this year.He is definitely one of the best in the world. @BCCI #quality #INDvsENG
— DK (@DineshKarthik) March 28, 2021
When Nitin Menon Gives a Decision 🥳🙌 #IndvEng pic.twitter.com/zHdRYBCHrA
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) March 28, 2021
He has the dream to officiate in The Ashes as an umpire which was fulfilled in June 2023; he officiated the series third day onwards. Discussing this in an interview, he said,
I am very excited about it too as this was my dream. I could not do the previous Ashes as it happened during COVID. So really looking forward to it and hopefully I will give my best shot there.”
Achievements
- Youngest Umpire of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires
Who is Nitin Menon? India umpire becomes youngest on ICC Elite Panel #NitinMenon #ICC #BCCI https://t.co/Dly9ULcb83
— Republic (@republic) June 29, 2020
Favourites
- Umpire: Simon Taufel, Denis Burns
Facts/Trivia
- Nitin’s three aunts had played cricket at the zonal level against visiting New Zealand and Australia teams in the early seventies.
- His hometown is Thrissur, Kerala, India; his father relocated to Indore, Madhya Pradesh before his birth.
- Nitin Menon adheres to a basic regimen to maintain his fitness. Discussing it in an interview, he said
I spend 75 minutes in the gym six days a week if I am not officiating. For mental strength, I don’t do much. I feel the more games you do, the more you are put under pressure and you get to know more about yourself and you can self analyse your rights and wrongs and develop levels of concentration accordingly.”
- Nitin only watches The Ashes and World Cup tournaments when he’s not officiating any match as an umpire.
- In an interview, Nitin stated that he has a fondness for Indore and isn’t fond of big cities like Mumbai and Delhi.
- He is only the third umpire from India to make it into the ICC’s Elite Panel of Umpires list after S Venkatraghavan and Sundaram Ravi.
- By June 2023, Nitin has officiated in 94 matches in Indian Premier League; he is the third umpire to officiate in the most number of IPL matches with HDPK Dharmasena of Sri Lanka.
Nitin Menon with Sri Lankan umpire Dharmasena
- In 2022, the ICC gave a one-year extension to Nitin Menon as an umpire of the elite panel.
- Nitin belongs to a family of cricketers. His father and aunts were former cricket players. His younger brother, Nikhil, is also an umpire who officiates in domestic matches.
