Shardul Thakur wants BCCI to look into Ranji Trophy scheduling

Shardul Thakur, who played a blinder (109) in the second semi-final against Tamil Nadu in Mumbai, wanted the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to look into the Ranji Trophy scheduling. The scheduling did come under the scanner earlier, with several players injured due to the heavy workload for their respective states. 

Thakur shed light on that, stating that it is extremely ‘tough’ for pacers to play ten games with just a three-day gap in between. The Indian all-rounder also insisted that if the bowlers continue to play in a similar schedule, there will be a lot more injuries across the country. 

"If boys keep playing like this for two more seasons, there will be a lot of injuries across the country," Thakur told, reported ESPNCricinfo. 

"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."

Mumbai, themselves, have been affected multiple times during the season, with Mohit Avasthi having to take extra burden after Tushar Deshpande was selected for India ‘A’. Alongside that, Thakur also wanted the apex cricketing board in the country to have a look at the format, insisting that the new format has reduced the extra break for the bowlers. 

"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.

"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."

Earlier in the first innings, Mumbai’s pace bowler Avasthi had to walk back to the dressing room, with an apparent injury before returning to the field. 

"He [Mohit] operated a lot in those first five games, and then he had an injury so he had to miss a game. I think that is because there is not enough spacing between the games."