TN players give thumbs up to Ranji in neutral venues

Chennai

The decision comes after a large number of Ranji Trophy matches last year finished inside two days as home teams prepared pitches suited to their strengths.

The technical committee, led by Sourav Ganguly, felt that playing all league matches at neutral venues would “rule out the issues related to preparing specific wickets for home teams, as well to expose players in different conditions”.

The decision had drawn a thumbs up from Tamil Nadu Ranji cricketers. Bowling spearhead L. Balaji said the new initiative could bring interesting results.

“It is good that something new is being tried in the domestic circuit. We have to wait for a year to see the results it can bring but I feel the decision is for the betterment of Indian cricket as the players would be exposed to different conditions,” the paceman said.

Elaborating on different conditions, Balaji added: “The wickets have a natural way of behaving. We have hot and humid conditions and in the northern part of the country it is different – the heat is dry. Hence the wickets naturally assist the slower bowlers. “In places where it rains a lot, the wicket is under cover for a long time and its tendency to assist the slower bowlers is more.”

However, Balaji pointed out that the teams might miss on the local flavour in these circumstances. “The fans, the marketing, the popularity takes a beating. But at the end of the day, if we can have a plan to improve the players’ quality, it is a good move,” Balaji added.

All-rounder Vijay Shankar said the experience from playing in different conditions would teach the players an invaluable lesson. “The Ranji title is anyways decided on a neutral venue. Although it is a challenge, Tamil Nadu did well in conditions away from home too. Playing on different venues poses a difficult test, but to be champions a team has to excel in all environments,” he added.