Sourav Ganguly advices India middle order duo to play Ranji Trophy Go back there and perform

Cricket | The Ranji Trophy is about to return to Indian cricket after a gap of two years. The BCCI was forced to postpone this top domestic competition due to the increasing cases of corona virus infection in the country. According to the earlier schedule, it was to be played from January 13. The tournament was canceled last season due to the pandemic.

India's premier first-class domestic competition will be played in two phases - first later this month and then the knockout phase after the IPL (in June). The canceled Ranji Trophy for the first time in its rich history is crucial for the financial security of players, match officials and ground personnel. It is also considered as the backbone of Indian cricket. Over the years, the Ranji Trophy has given Indian cricket superstars, and the coming season will provide a platform for the next generation of Indian cricketers to shine. Some experienced cricketers have managed to make it to the team through the Ranji Trophy.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly feels that Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane should go back to play Ranji Trophy and it will be good to get some runs. Pujara and Rahane have clashed lately. His average has come down and he has failed to score big.

After being dropped from the Indian team in 2005, he (Sourav Ganguly) himself went back to play Ranji Trophy, where he scored a lot of runs and came back strong. The former India captain is confident that Rahane and Pujara can get their form back. If they choose to go back and play the tournament.

Ganguly told Sportstar, “Yes, he is a very good player. Hopefully, he will go back to Ranji Trophy and score a lot of runs, which I am sure he will do. I don't see any problem [for him to go back to domestic cricket after playing so much international cricket]. Ranji Trophy is a huge tournament, and we all have played that tournament."

Ganguly said, "So, they too, will go back there and perform. They have played tournaments in the past when they were only playing Test cricket and were not part of ODIs or limited overs teams. So, it will not be a problem. "

38 teams will participate in the tournament and its matches will most likely be played in Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Trivandrum, Cuttack, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad and Rajkot. However, the format has been changed to have eight groups of four teams, with six teams in the plate group. Teams that fail to advance to the next stage will play only three matches this time compared to five in the original format, affecting the match fees of the players. No national level domestic match has been played in the red ball format in India since the Ranji Trophy final in March 2020.