Rudi Koertzen

Calcutta: The other day, Rudi Koertzen had admitted making a mistake in giving Kumar Sangakkara out on 192 in the Hobart Test last month.

On Sunday, the South African umpire made another confession — giving Sachin Tendulkar out wrongly in the Port Elizabeth Test in December 1992.

“That was my first Test… I remember every moment of the match clearly. I declared Tendulkar caught behind in the first innings,” Koertzen told The Telegraph on Sunday evening.

“I was wrong, he was not out as I later saw on the television replay. I still remember that Sachin left the field crying… He was just a teenager then,” Koertzen recalled.

For the record, Sachin was adjudged caught by Dave Richardson off Allan Donald for six.

Koertzen, who is officiating an international match at the Eden for the first time, said it was an overwhelming experience.

“The Eden is a dream ground for any player or umpire… All these years, I watched action at the Eden on television and kept hoping that one day I would come here and stand in the middle, so it’s a dream coming true for me,” said Koertzen, who is on his sixth India visit.

“The crowd here has been unbelievable, the Mexican wave gave me goose bumps… They made so much noise that I found it hard to concentrate. I have enjoyed every second of the Test so far,” Koertzen said, adding that he wanted to officiate an ODI here.

“I hope to officiate an ODI at the Eden… I pray to God for that opportunity,” Koertzen said.

On the ICC pulling up the five match officials for the World Cup final fracas in March, Koertzen said: 'I feel I made a mistake and was punished. I deserved it… That made me a better umpire… Stronger than before.'