Rise of a female umpire in the field dominated by men

Now cricket lovers in Thrissur can see a female umpire officiating men’s cricket matches. Drishya, a native of Perinjanam village has become the first female umpire in the district. She was the women’s cricket team captain at Kerala Varma college.

Drishya, daughter of Unnikrishnan and Usha was a volleyball player at school level but switched over to cricket during collegiate education. She led the Kerala Varma college cricket team for four years during her graduate and post graduate days. She also made a mark in the inter university competitions representing Calicut University. Currently, she is associated with the Kerala Cricket Academy as a pink bash player.

Her friendship with cricketer-turned-umpires Soni and Toni has led to the decision to take up umpiring. She became eligible to officiate cricket matches after clearing the panel test conducted by District Cricket Association. Drishya officiated the Kerala Cricket Tournament held in Thrissur recently. She also did umpiring during the League division games.

Drishya, a post-graduate, now sets her sights on attaining the required qualifications to become a state and national level umpire.