Sri Lanka's 39-year-old Kumar Dharmasena will be in India next month to umpire in the Airtel Champions League in India.

By Bipin Dani

According to the BCCI sources, the former player and current umpire Kumar Dharmasena will be the only one from Sri Lanka from the list of six umpires chosen for the event. This will be Dharmasena's first visit to India as an umpire. "As a player I have visited India several times", he said from Colombo.

Dharmasena was a member of the 1996 Sri Lanka team that stunned the world when they overcame all odds to lift the World Cup under the leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga, beating Australia in the final by seven wickets at Lahore.

The decision to become an umpire was not something that Dharmasena decided overnight. He was already a qualified cricket coach having got through Levels I and II in England. Two Sri Lankan Test umpires, KT Francis and Peter Manuel gave him a lot of encouragement and providing a lot of cassettes on umpiring.

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The biggest disappointment of his career was when he was reported for having a suspect bowling action during the Oval Test against England in 1998.

Blessed with an understanding housewife (Dushyanthi) and three children (son Kavishka, two daughters- Ashalya and Amanya, Dharmasena is one of the few individuals who has stuck dutifully to one employer throughout his career. He is an official at Hatton National Bank, whom he has served for 18 years.

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