Gavaskar criticised the new Ranji Trophy schedule, squeezed between two domestic white-ball tournaments, and accused the BCCI of no longer treating its premier red-ball tournament as the crown jewel. As per the current BCCI schedule, the Ranji Trophy will be played in two phases on either side of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has lashed out at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for pushing the Ranji Trophy schedule “here and there”.
“How can a tournament be interrupted to accommodate a white-ball tournament? Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar . “…The rhythm and momentum get destroyed. Why is the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy not played till the quarterfinal, then a break for a few weeks, and then the semifinals and final, as it happens with the Ranji Trophy? “In the old BCCI, there used to be a Technical Committee and a Fixtures Committee too. Experienced former players, umpires and administrators served on these committees, ensuring that cricket went smoothly. Something similar needs to be done, drawing on such experience and expertise.
Because the auction for the IPL happens pretty soon after the tournament,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar, it won’t be done.
Gavaskar also said that the current BCCI ecosystem is slightly skewed due to the presence of “non-experts”, which has led to this mess in scheduling. The Indian cricket ecosystem is slightly skewed at the moment, and this would help rebalance it,” said Gavaskar
