Former Australian umpire Daryl Harper’s favourite photo with Sachin Tendulkar.
Recently, cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Glenn McGrath teamed up for a funny ad for Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital that referred to McGrath’s strange ‘shoulder-before-wicket’ dismissal of Tendulkar in the Adelaide Test in 1999.
The duo engage in a playful banter, debating the dismissal. Tendulkar, who insists the decision was incorrect, cheekily suggests an eye check-up for McGrath.
Now, former Australian umpire Daryl Harper, who adjudicated that Tendulkar was out, has written a warm email to the hospital, saying that he enjoyed watching the ad and persisting that he’d made the right call.
“Cricket is such an amazing game and who would have thought that my decision a quarter of a century ago would still feature in 2025? Of course, it wasn’t Glenn’s eyesight that was responsible for that controversial decision. It was mine. I am still satisfied that my eyesight enabled me to make the correct decision,” he has written in the email.
Fondly recalling his visits to India, including as an umpire for the first three editions of the IPL, he’s also shared his favourite photo with Tendulkar.
“I umpired Sachin in more than twenty Tests, including against England immediately after the horrible terrorist attack on Mumbai in 2008. I have attached a favourite photo of mine with Sachin, taken after he scored his forty-first Test century in that memorable Test with England in Chennai. This was nine years after that infamous decision and you can see that we were still on good terms,” reads the email.
Published – February 20, 2025 09:08 pm IST
