Squeezing in white-ball tournaments during Ranji break not ideal, feel Khare, Bawne

Quick turnaround time in between matches and adapting to different conditions have been a challenge for the teams in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. While teams, which featured in the Super League stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy had barely five days to switch formats, it was merely a seven-day break for others.

Calling for a better scheduling, Chhattisgarh captain Amandeep Khare and Maharashtra’s Ankit Bawne believe that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should go back to the old format of finishing one tournament at a time, instead of giving a break between the two legs of the Ranji Trophy, adding the white-ball tournaments in between.

“It breaks the momentum,” Khare told The Hindu. “We prepare about a couple of months before the Ranji Trophy, but you don’t get much time to get used to white-ball cricket. Since there are different teams for white-ball and red-ball formats, players take a bit of time to come together as a unit. It’s not an excuse, but it does get a bit difficult for the young cricketers, and it hampers things a bit.”

Placed in Group C, Chhattisgarh has lost both its matches in, and will be up against Mumbai on Monday. While Khare has amassed 152 runs in two innings, the team has struggled, and he believes that going back to the old structure will allow players to focus on one format at a time.

Bawne agreed. “Imagine, if a player found his rhythm in the last two matches, he will suffer again since there’s a huge gap. It’s mentally challenging. Have you ever heard that the World Cup has been stopped midway and teams are asked to play in a bilateral series? For the domestic cricketers, the Ranji Trophy is like a World Cup, and that should be given its due importance,” he said.