Umpire SK Bansal has a unique distinction. India has won all the six Test matches that he has officiated in. However, the Indian Airlines officer from Delhi thinks that it is just a coincidence. "I am the lucky mascot for the Indians. However, they have won on their own abilities. I am proud to have been an umpire in Test matches that India has won."

The success story of India and Bansal started from the Ahmedabad Test against Zimbabwe in 1993. "Since then I have officiated in Test matches against the Sri Lankans (1994), New Zealand (1995), West Indies (1996), South Africa (1997) and finally the last against Australia. In most of the matches, India has always been under pressure before finally managing to wriggle through," he said at a hotel in Central Kolkata, just before his departure on Friday.

Bansal has suddenly been picked as the villain by a section of the Australian media after the Kolkata Test. The umpire however, is not worried. "If you see the replays of all the leg before decisions that I gave you will see that I have not committed any mistake. The only mistake that I made in this match was when I did not give Jason Gillespie out on the morning of the second day of the Test. I realized my mistake after viewing television replays. So they have nothing to complain about. Let them write what they feel like. I am not going to discuss these things with critics. I will only raise my finger when I am sure that a batsman is out." In fact, even after the end of the game on Thursday, some Indian cricketers were still heard saying that if Bansal had declared Gillespie out, the game would have finished earlier.

However, foreign teams will not have to deal with Bansal anymore. As per the rulings of the ICC, an international umpire can officiate till he is 60 years of age. Bansal will reach that age by the time England visits India in December. Even though he did not announce his retirement, he knows that his international career is over. "Yes, I will be 60 before the Englishmen arrive. But then I have no regrets. I wanted to be a Test cricketer. However, I could not progress beyond club level. Then I decided that I would become an international umpire. I am satisfied that I have succeeded in my endeavour."

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