Mihira Chougule becomes the first qualified female match referee from Karnataka

Former pacer of Maharashtra and then Karnataka, Mihira Chougule has become the first woman to have qualified as match referee from Karnataka. Having grown up with cricket, she had represented Maharashtra and Karnataka at the senior level before hanging up her boots in 2008.



After hanging up her boots, she became a corporate lawyer and started working in a multinational company but her urge to stay connected to cricket made her re-think and she returned as a selector at the U-16 and U-19 levels. But a month ago, she had to make a choice between her successful career and cricket. She chose cricket.



As stated to Times of India, former India player, as well as captain Shantha Rangaswamy, informed her about the course of match referees' in early July. Mihira thought to give it a try, "I went into the course with an open mind. It was something new and I wasn't thinking of results. Once there, I learnt a lot about cricket and also about values of life because what we learn about loyalty and spirit of the game it is relevant in life as well."



While asking whether she is regretting to give up a successful career, she replied, 'no'.

She further added, "Last Friday was my last working day. The company policy did not allow me to take up another assignment for which I would be paid. I had to make a choice and I chose cricket over law. Given the rapid growth of women's cricket in the country, a lot of us associated with it in various capacities are getting an opportunity to reinvent ourselves and I didn't want to let go of this opportunity."

She has also found her passion for coaching but gave up the ambition to give time to her family. She is married to former Karnataka first-class cricketer Deepak Chougule and they have a four-year-old daughter Nysa. "Coaching is a round-the-year job and takes up a lot of time. With a young child and Deepak taking up coaching, I couldn't dedicate time."

Having officiated during the women's matches at the Karnataka Premier League (KPL), she now has a hectic schedule ahead and is looking forward to it.