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In a bizarre turn of events in the Ranji Trophy, two ‘Bihar Teams’ turned up for a match against Mumbai at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna on Friday. There has been an ongoing tussle at the Bihar Cricket Association between rival factions and the result of it was there for all to see. There was also a minor scuffle and heated exchange between officials, according to a report in The Indian Express. The report added that local police had to intervene before the Ranji Trophy season opener could start at around 11 am.
Between the two teams, the one picked by the BCA president Rakesh Tiwary played the game. The other, which had secretary Amit Kumar as the patron, was not allowed.
“We have picked the team on merit and that is the right team. You see the talent that is coming from Bihar. We have a cricketer (Sakib Hussain), who is picked in the IPL. We have a 12-year-old prodigy making his debut in the game. The other is being picked by the secretary who is suspended, so it can’t be the real team,” Rakesh Tiwary told the newspaper.
Amit Kumar, however, said: “First things first: I won the election, and I am an official secretary of the BCA. You can’t suspend a secretary. Secondly, how can a president select a team? Have you ever seen BCCI president Roger Binny announcing the squad? You will always see the signature of Secretary Jay Shah.”
On the periphery, the latest edition of the premier domestic competition might appear to be having little or no say in the cricketing fortunes of a clutch of players, especially with India’s batting and bowling line-ups almost sealed in Tests.
The selectors also might not ring in too many changes for the five-match home rubber against England later this month. Also India will play the red-ball format only in September at home against Bangladesh, courtesy an avalanche of white-ball matches, including the IPL and the T20 World Cup in June.
So, it might seem like there is zero incentive to toil in some remote grounds across the country over the next month and thereabouts. But in reality, a whole lot more is bubbling beneath that seemingly staid surface of insignificance over this Ranji Trophy.
No one will be more in focus than the two 35-year-old veterans –- Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, whose Test careers are now in doldrums.
Rahane and Pujara will hope to log in some big runs in the competition to keep their names in the selectors’ discussion, especially since several younger cricketers are also vying for a spot in the national team.
Rahane will have to carry an additional burden. Along with his personal resurrection, the elegant batter will have to lead Mumbai to a much-desired title.
The 41-time champions’ last Ranji triumph came in the 2015-16 season and since then they have struggled to maintain their supremacy in the domestic circuit.
With PTI inputs
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