The
Legends League Cricket in Oman retrieved the golden past of cricket into the fore
with cricket legends from the 1990s and early 2000s locking horns against each
other in Muscat. Asia Lions, India Maharajas and World Giants are the three
participating teams of the tournament.

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While
all eyes are on the legends a young umpire caught the eyes of the cricketing fraternity. Among the male cricketers, the match officials of the tournament
are comprised of four female on-field umpires and one match referee. India’s Shubhda
Bhosle Gaikwad, South Africa’s Lauren Agenbag, Pakistan’s Humaira Farah, and
Hong Kong’s Renee Montgomery are the match umpires while South Africa’s
Shandre Fritz is chosen as the match referee.

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Among
these match officials, one name that intrigued cricket fans is that of India’s
Shubhda Bhosle Gaikwad. Shubhda hails from Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior city. She is
India’s youngest woman umpire. Hailing from a family of cricketers, she decided
to pursue a career in cricket.

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Shubhda’s father Ajit Bhosle is a cricket coach
and uncle Shrikant Bhosle is a former Ranji player of the Madhya Pradesh state
team. With cricket running in her blood, it was perhaps the obvious choice for
Shubhda to make a career in cricket.

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Before
taking up the profession umpire, Shubhda played for Madhya Pradesh at U-16 and
U-19 levels till 2009. She was inspired by her brother, who represented the
Vidarbha state team, to take up professional cricket. Being a player herself, her
experiences on the field as a player and in the dressing room worked
in favour of choosing umpiring as a career.

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Once
she conveyed her wish to become an umpire to her family, her parents encouraged
her to pursue her passion. Her husband Sujay has also supported her wish with
all might.

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Shubhda is also a brilliant student. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s
degrees in Physical Education and a PhD in Sport Psychology. She has also
completed her Level O umpiring exam. Her first match as an on-field umpire came during the JS Anand Trophy which is a part of Women’s Senior Division Cricket
in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in 2012.