Shardul Thakur calls for longer break between Ranji games
Star India all-rounder Shardul Thakur has recently come forward and asked for longer breaks in between Ranji Trophy matches. The 32-year-old asked for the same to help the players get better rest and better prepare for their forthcoming matches.
It is worth noting that should Mumbai reach the summit clash of the tournament, the side would have played 10 first-class games in under 10 weeks. Seeing the current schedule, Thakur classified it as grueling and consistently getting tougher.
“If boys keep playing like this for two more seasons, there will be a lot of injuries across the country. Next year, they [the BCCI] have to re-look at it and give more [of a] break. When I remember playing Ranji Trophy back in the day, good seven to eight years back, [the] first three games used to have [a] three-day break, and then it was [a] four-day break, and knockouts were played [with] five-day breaks,” Thakur was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
It is extremely tough on domestic players: Thakur
Shardul Thakur further shed light on the tough schedule of the Ranji Trophy. It is interesting to note that with the window for the IPL (Indian Premier League) increasing every other season, the BCCI is forced to fit other domestic tournaments in a shorter span, which results in such a schedule.
Recently, Gujarat had their flight to New Delhi canceled the following day after their home fixture against Karnataka in Ahmedabad. On the second day, the revised flight was delayed, and when the side finally arrived in Delhi, they had to stay in the airport overnight.
“Now this year, we have seen that all the games have been played [with a] three-day gap. It is extremely tough on domestic players to expect them to play ten games in a row with just three-day gap if [a] team makes it to the finals,” Thakur said.
“Also, when nine teams were in the group [in the old format], one team would get a break in [the] round-robin system. Now with only eight teams being in one group, everyone plays each other, so that [extra] break has gone now,” he added.
