India news

BCCI to solicit players' views on domestic cricket

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The BCCI will solicit the views of current Ranji Trophy captains and coaches on senior domestic cricket at a meeting in Mumbai on March 22, the board has said. The board used to hold an annual meeting at the end of each season with players and coaches, but the practice had been discontinued for a few years.

The meeting will give the players and support staff the chance to air their views on the domestic game, potentially ranging from the kind of ball that is used (Kookaburra or SG) to the quality of pitches to whether Ranji games should be played over four or five days. "The views of the captains and coaches, with regard to senior domestic cricket, will be discussed during the conclave," Sanjay Jagdale, the BCCI secretary, said in a statement.

The meeting comes at a time when the BCCI's technical committee has recommended a number of prospective changes to domestic cricket. The committee, chaired by the former India captain Sourav Ganguly, has recommended a revamp of the domestic calendar, including advancing the Duleep Trophy to the beginning of the season, playing the Ranji Trophy knockouts over five days and revising the points system in the case of incomplete matches where a team fails to take the first-innings lead. The recommendations still need to be approved by the board's working committee, if they are to be implemented.

Sairaj Bahutule, the captain of Vidarbha, welcomed the board's decision to revive the meeting this year. "Players and coaches are getting involved, this interaction is very good," he told ESPNcricinfo. Bahutule, who has also captained Mumbai, said it was important for the players to have the opportunity to present their idea and opinions on the game. He also felt it would give the representatives of teams in the Plate league a chance to draw attention to their concerns and possibly put forward ideas that could improve their standard of cricket.