Black soil, slow turn, and Delhi's cuisine - Ben Treloar lives the Ranji Trophy life

Last Sunday, when Delhi and Gujarat took to the field at the Palam Air Force B Ground for their second-round Ranji Trophy match, a foreign face stepped onto the field. This was umpire Ben Treloar, who has come to India to officiate in two Ranji Trophy matches under the ongoing Umpire Exchange Program between Cricket Australia (CA) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Treloar officiated for a total of 318.5 overs across the four days of a high-scoring draw, in temperatures that hovered around 33 degrees Celsius. He came to India with the experience of officiating in 107 men's games across first-class, List A and T20 cricket as well as two Women's ODIs and seven Women's T20Is, but he still found his Ranji debut challenging.

"To come into a new and foreign environment, and umpire this high level of first-class cricket here in India, it was incredibly challenging, but a lot of fun as well," Treloar told Cricinfo. "The great thing about this opportunity is being able to learn, being put under pressure in different foreign conditions, and just learning more about yourself, the game, and umpiring as well.

"It was the first time I've umpired an innings where a team scored 650 [Delhi declared on 648 for 6]. That's a challenge in itself, and then the team batting second here, Gujarat, followed up with another 460 to 480 [479] score. It might be flat, but that doesn't mean it is easy to umpire those conditions. Umpiring on a black-soil pitch where it keeps a little bit lower, a little bit slower as the game moves on, and doesn't break up at all. That was a really good challenge this week and I really enjoyed it. I'm just grateful that I can be part of that game and learn from it.

"In terms of the weather, it didn't seem too hot this week. It seemed like this weather was just perfect for cricket - 31-32 degrees with a light breeze. These conditions were very similar to what we have at home."

Treloar had prepared thoroughly for this match. He arrived in Delhi four days early to adapt to the weather and time zone, and by the time he headed to the ground on the morning of the match, he had got himself in the right zone. There were nerves before he stepped onto the field, but they were nerves of anticipation and excitement. Once the first over was done, this match became like any other match for him.

Treloar was grateful to his fellow on-field umpire Vinod Seshan and match referee Arjan Kripal Singh for helping him settle into the Ranji Trophy environment. After a point, he stopped feeling like he was umpiring in a foreign country. "Both were very welcoming, and their attitude leading into the game and across the week was fantastic. It made a seamless transition into first-class cricket here in India and doing the Ranji game. It was a great week, we did lot of fun."

Batters touring Asia from other continents often find it a challenge to read spin. Do umpires face this issue too?

"We had a fair bit this week with spinners, probably more in the second innings than the first with Delhi bowling, but it was a real challenge," Treloar said. "The spinners here are just incredibly gifted and skilled. They have got their art, a honed skill that they can execute with great accuracy. In Australia spinners come into the game a little bit later.

"I was really looking forward to experiencing and being put under pressure by the spinners here in India. No doubt when we go to Mumbai for the next round, we'll probably get even more spinners there with the red soil. That's another challenge I'm really looking forward to."

Treloar will next umpire in the third-round match between Mumbai and Haryana at Mumbai's BKC ground.

Under this exchange program, Indian umpire Parashar Joshi will travel to Australia, where he will officiate in two Sheffield Shield games and one One-Day Cup match.

"To have this opportunity is massive for us, and I think it's something all of our umpires strive to be involved with," Treloar said. "It was definitely something for me when I was invited onto the panel with Cricket Australia that this exchange program was available.

"These opportunities come up for our umpires over the years, and it was something I was striving to be considered for. When that phone call came through and I was offered the chance to come to India, it meant an incredible amount to me. It meant a lot to be invited to come across and learn in these conditions.

"Similarly, I umpired alongside Abhijit Bengari last year when he was part of the exchange program. He came to Australia and I was lucky enough to umpire with him in Perth. For him to come over here and experience conditions in Australia, and then go to the Gabba for his second game, was going to give him an incredible amount of experience.

"Working with local players and obviously speaking different languages adds challenges. Abhi performed incredibly well when he came there. We, the umpires, still talk about how well he fitted in and how well he went, and the players still mention Abhi around that exchange last year. For us, it's an incredible opportunity and one I'm very grateful to be part of."

Treloar began playing cricket at 11. When he turned 16, he took a Laws of Cricket course with his father to gain a deeper understanding of the rules of the game. It was during this course that he caught the bug for officiating matches. When he was 23, during an 18-month span in which he played club cricket across three consecutive summers in Australia, England, and back in Australia, he realised he was perhaps meant for officiating rather than playing. After this, he completed his Level 2 umpiring course in New South Wales.

After completing this course, Treloar would play cricket on Saturdays and umpire on Sundays. After a season of playing and umpiring simultaneously, he gave up playing cricket and embraced umpiring full-time. Treloar, now 45, has been umpiring for the past 21 years.

Currently Treloar is enjoying his trip to Delhi, and jokes that he has put on a bit of weight since arriving in the city. He enjoys Indian food, not just eating it but cooking it too, and he has already done the rounds of local markets for spices to take back home. He's eagerly awaiting the next leg of this adventure, where Mumbai's local cuisine awaits him, along with more sweltering days on the field and more spin.