Dilip Vengsarkar dismisses Sachin Tendulkar's two-pitch suggestion for not being practical

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar had suggested that the Ranji Trophy should be played on two different pitches so that the players have a better chance of playing in overseas conditions.

“I have thought a lot about neutral venues in Ranji Trophy. I have a suggestion which can be radical. When we go to places like Australia, New Zealand, West Indies and South Africa, we play with kookaburra balls which swings early. Think about a young Ranji batsman playing with SG Test in India and then facing difficulty overseas," Sachin had suggested.

“Let us have the first innings on a green top with Kookaburra balls which would give openers a challenge. Even bowlers will have something. Our spinners will also learn how to bowl with kookaburra on green tops."

To counter the problem, Sachin had said that the first innings should be played on surfaces that resemble foreign pitches. However, the second innings should be played on a pitch that would assist the spinners so that the players get the best of both the worlds.

“Now let there be a pitch adjacent to the green top which would be a rank turner. Now, the second innings will be played on that track with the SG Test ball which would also help our batsmen play against quality spin bowling. We have been too focused on playing pace in overseas conditions but we should not forget how to play spin bowling… Don't forget even overseas teams are losing to us in India. Maybe they would start using SG in their domestic matches,” said the 43-year-old Mumbaikar.

The 60-year-old cricket legend, who has also served as the chairman of selectors in the past, however, has unequivocally disagreed with Tendulkar on this matter.

“How will this happen? If you play the first innings for two-three days on a green top and then shift, how can you predict if the ball will turn on the other pitch? And how will this help the bowlers? No, it’s not practical,” Vengsarkar told mid-day.

When was asked about the hot debate on MS Dhoni's selection in the ODI squad despite the Indian captain not playing a single competitive game for over a month, Vengsarkar exclaimed that he found it strange and ironical that the Ranchi lad was still in contention.

“Dhoni has retired from Test cricket. He also doesn’t play Ranji games. So how does he keep himself match-fit. One needs to play regularly to stay match-fit. It’s ironical that Dhoni isn’t doing this,” Vengsarkar concluded.