Ranji’s group matches should be five days: Rahane

Mumbai (Best Hindu News): Mumbai Ranji team captain and former Indian Test team vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has advocated for the group stage matches of Ranji Trophy to be reduced to five days.

At present, Ranji Trophy quarter-finals and subsequent stage matches are of five days duration while the group stage matches are of four days duration. In the current Ranji season, Mumbai crashed out of the tournament after playing out a draw against Maharashtra.

Rahane’s men needed a win over Maharashtra or a first innings lead to qualify for the quarterfinals. After a tied first innings score, Mumbai bowled out Maharashtra on the fourth day needing 253 runs in 28 overs. Despite tireless efforts, Mumbai fell behind by 58 runs and the 41-time winner’s Ranji campaign ended in the group stage itself.

Rahane expressed his displeasure over the four-day format, saying, “First-class cricket should be five-day. We play Test matches for five days. The chances of results in five days are almost certain and you will get more results. You don’t really get results in four-day matches.”

“I don’t know how to fit it into the calendar but one thing is for sure that five-day cricket will get domestic cricketers used to the rigors of first-class cricket,” he said. If you play one season, you can save four-day matches but if you are asked to work hard for three more seasons, it will give them an opportunity to develop better Test cricketers. In a five-day match, many factors like discipline with the ball can be taken care of. Anyway the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are five days. Now it should be implemented in the league stage.