Sunil Gavaskar has questioned the BCCI over the new Ranji Trophy schedule, with the former India captain unhappy with the decision to split the tournament into two phases.
The Ranji Trophy will be played around the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy in the current domestic season.
Gavaskar believes this can affect the rhythm of the players and has questioned why India’s main red-ball tournament needs to be interrupted for a white ball competition.
How can a tournament be interrupted to accommodate a white ball tournament? Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar also suggested that the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy could be played at the start of the domestic season in September.
According to Gavaskar, the SMAT could follow a similar format to the Ranji Trophy by completing the league and quarter final stages before taking a break.
The semi finals and final could then be played later. He feels this would avoid breaking the momentum of the tournament.
The former India captain also questioned the way the BCCI is currently managing domestic cricket.
Gavaskar pointed out that the old BCCI had separate Technical and Fixtures Committees, which included former players, umpires and experienced administrators.
He believes bringing back a similar system could help improve the scheduling process.
The Ranji Trophy remains India’s biggest domestic red ball competition and has been an important route for players hoping to reach the national team.
With the new schedule already attracting criticism, the BCCI will now face questions over whether the current format is helping or hurting domestic red ball cricket.
