Players slam neutral venue concept in Ranji Trophy
Some cricketers have slammed the concept of playing the Ranji Trophy at neutral venues, saying it did not work due to apathy on the part of host associations and poor planning. The BCCI introduced neutral venues from the first round this season to negate home advantage.
“The idea was good but the implementation was third class. Most host associations did not show interest in organising matches for other teams. The facilities were poor, be it providing us with good wickets, adequate balls or serving decent food. It could have been handled much better,” Rajasthan professional Rajat Bhatia told PTI news agency.
Bhatia cited the example of the Assam-Rajasthan match in Vizag, which ended in three days with the wicket coming in for severe criticism and putting in doubt the subsequent fifth ODI between India and New Zealand.
“The system was introduced to stop teams from taking undue home advantage with games often finishing inside two days. But the quality did not improve even though games were held at neutral venues,” Bhatia said.
“Take our match against Assam in Vizag for example. The wicket was not fit enough for a first-class match and therefore the match was over well inside three days. And it was just two weeks before an international match. The groundsmen did not have much to say when we asked them why we were made to play on such a poor surface,” the 37-year-old Bhatia added.
Restless traveling was another reason why Gujarat and Indian spinner Axar Patel did not like the neutral venue initiative.
“Scheduling was a big problem. Sometimes there was just a three-day gap between games and we had to travel to places which were not easily accessible, which meant we had to spend a lot of time on the road in buses,” said
“What is the point of having matches in places where nobody comes to see us play? At least we had a decent turnout when we were playing at home. I hope we go back to the home and away format next season,” added the spinner, who is currently recovering from a wrist injury.
Tamil Nadu captain Abhinav Mukund was critical of the nature of wickets at neutral venues.
“No one actually gives a damn about the wickets that are being prepared. Everyone’s playing safe, which is why people are scoring more than 1000 runs, and I don’t see many spinners coming into play,” he said.
“I don’t like this concept mainly because of the fact that there’s no continuity. You play throughout the year in one condition – it’s really important to play at home.”