Jharkhand’s three-day sojourn with the bat redraws attention on a major flaw in Ranji Trophy points system

Back in 2012, when India rejigged the playing surfaces in the Ranji Trophy in the aftermath of the embarrassing 8-0 – encompassing twin Test series whitewashes in England and Australia – former captain and spin legend Anil Kumble advocated for a critical tweak in the points system as well.

Kumble made a suggestion to remove the points allocated for the first-innings lead completely and backed the idea of adopting bowling and batting points.

The aim was to encourage teams to prepare balanced tracks and continue pushing hard through games, not sleepwalk into draws or play solely for that lead.

The first-innings lead is a big one in Ranji Trophy cricket. According to the longstanding points system, the team who posts a lead at the end of the game’s first half, gets 3 points in cases of a draw where the opposing team finishes with just 1.

Thus, even as there is no result at the end of four days (or five in cases of knock-outs), the team with the first-innings lead walks off with a 2-point advantage.

Also Read – How The Greatest Ranji Trophy Final Of All Time Came To A Thrilling Conclusion

The Ranji Trophy points system needs an overhaul.

Jharkhand games the Ranji Trophy points system against Nagaland

At first glance, it seems a fair enough reward for beating your opponent in at least the first half of the match when there is no outright result. But look through this rule deeply, and it becomes obvious how problematic it is for the strength of the Ranji Trophy and therefore, the Indian Test match game.

If the first-innings lead is 50% of the points rewarded for an outright result – teams gets six points for a direct victory in Ranji Trophy – it means there is absolutely no encouragement to prepare balanced surfaces.

BCCI have tried to avoid that by playing knock-outs at neutral venues but the teams have still gamed this system. The moment they see even a relatively flat surface, they almost give up on the idea of going hard for 20 wickets, keeping their bowlers fresh, and trying to bat and bat big.

The latest instance of the Ranji Trophy points system and the first-innings lead being gamed is on display in Kolkata’s Eden Gardens where Jharkhand have continued to bat past two days for a total in excess of 850 against recent entrants Nagaland in the pre-quarterfinal of the tournament’s 2022 edition.

At the point of writing, Jharkhand’s total stands at a jaw-dropping 856/9 in 198 overs. Even as the play entered the first session on Day 3, Jharkhand made no point to declare their innings and push for an outright victory, knowing they can still progress through to the knock-outs on the basis of a first-innings lead.

Given their lack of experience and time left in the game, there is almost no chance a hapless Nagaland side would be able to surpass Jharkhand.

If the bowling and batting points decided the fate of the last qualifying team to the quarterfinals amidst the possibility of a draw, Jharkhand would’ve been forced to declare early and look for an allround display.

A competitive Ranji Trophy with balanced contests not only benefits the growth of the players involved and the competition itself but also benefit India’s “A” and Test match set-ups in the long run.

Such lopsided games, however, beef up the players’ records but do little of relevance to aid their growth at the domestic level.

It’s high time the BCCI paid attention to such games and acted upon the longstanding calls to reconsider the Ranji Trophy points system.