da realbet： With three out of the four quarter-finals ending in high-scoring draws, Harbhajan Singh has backed the idea of playing knockout games on neutral venues in the Ranji Trophy
Amol Karhadkar in Jamshedpur10-Jan-2013
File photo: Harbhajan Singh has backed the idea of playing knockout games on neutral venues in the Ranji Trophy•Fotocorp
391 overs. 1133 runs. 13 wickets. The summary of the Ranji Trophy quarter-finalbetween Jharkhand and Punjab is more than enough to indicate what kind of wicket wasoffered for a knock-out game of the premier domestic championship at the KeenanStadium in Jamshedpur.And it’s not just about Jamshedpur. The numbers in Rajkot and Mumbai – two of theother three quarter-final venues – are also similar, if not worse, in terms ofcompetition between the bat and the ball. This, in a season when the BCCI has issueda diktat to all the state associations for producing ‘sporting’ tracks.The only quarter-final that saw a result was, not surprisingly, played at a neutralvenue. With England based at the Palam ground in Delhi, Services hosted favouritesUttar Pradesh at the Holkar Stadium in Indore in what turned out to be a fascinatingcontest with David eventually overcoming Goliath.If the four quarter-finals were an indication, isn’t it high time the BCCI returnsto the policy they adopted during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons? That of playingall knockout games at neutral venues, thereby negating any home advantage andreducing the possibility of a flat-bed. Punjab skipper Harbhajan Singh supported theneutral venue theory despite ending up on the better side.”Yes. Why not? We’re playing the premier domestic competition where all the teamshave got an advantage of playing at home in the league stages. When it comes toknockout stages, why not have Punjab playing in Mumbai and Mumbai playing in Gujaratand Haryana,” Harbhajan said, after Punjab progressed to the semi-final on the basisof the first innings lead against Jharkhand. “It will also be good for the game.Imagine someone like Sachin Tendulkar going and playing in Haryana or in Delhi,people will come to watch and it will be a big thing for the game, so why not!”The game in Jamshedpur turned out to be a torrid experience for the bowlers. Thewicket – which neither offered movement or bounce for seamers nor turn for spinners- surprised Shahbaz Nadeem, the Jharkhand captain. “The two home games we playedhere, the wicket was so much better. The ball was coming off the deck much quickerand the spinners came into the game on the third and the fourth day. Such kind of awicket came as a real surprise. It negated all sorts of home advantage we had.”With literally no help from the strip, the bowlers had nothing else to do but “hope”as Harbhajan said. But he expressed his displeasure with some of the umpiringdecisions that went against him”A few decisions didn’t go my way and for that I have been fined. Otherwise, I could have had three-four wickets in my account,” he said. “I hope that the umpiring standards improve. At least those who are out should be given out. On these kind of wickets, you’re going to get a batsman out only once. And if you’re not given the wickets you’ve earned, then perhaps you have to toil for another 20-odd overs.”If Keenan was bad, Khanderi could be worse for Punjab as they prepare for theirsemi-final against Saurashtra. With Rajkot renowned for flat pitches, Punjab couldbe in for yet another tough week ahead.”It (the Rajkot pitch) would be more or less similar to this,” Harbhajan said.”Let’s hope we get a result-oriented wicket. Whether it’s a seaming track or aspinning track, it should produce a result. That too on the fifth day, not thesixth. Sixth day will be like… I don’t know. I have never seen it, I have neverplayed it. If there is no result in six days, then what’s the point. The best thingis to get a result in five days. It would be better to produce a wicket thatproduces a result in five days rather than extending the match by another day.”Over to Rajkot!