Should umpires have joined guard of honour for Sachin?

However, the umpires Richard Kettleborough and Nigel Llong too were part of the line-up which appeared strange. Former Test umpire Dara Dotiwalla told MiD DAY yesterday that it was for the first time that he witnessed such an occurrence.

West Indies players and the umpires form a guard of honour for Sachin Tendulkar as he walks into bat at the Wankhede Stadium. Pic/Suresh KK

"The West Indies decided to honour Tendulkar and that's fine, but umpires are regarded as neutral. Probably, they thought they must join in honouring Tendulkar as well," said Dotiwalla.

However, umpire Piloo Reporter felt there was nothing seriously wrong if the umpires stood in line with the West Indians since Tendulkar will not be seen in a Test match again and he deserved the honour.