Many cricketers and fans are questioning the standards of the Vijay Hazare Trophy after Tamil Nadu scored 506/2 against Arunachal Pradesh and then dismissed them at 71.
Narayan Jagadeesan amassed 271 off 141 balls, while his opening partner Sai Sudharsan accumulated 154 off 102 deliveries as they broke many records. After Dinesh Karthik, Aakash took to social media to raise his voice.
‘How’s this correct? It’s like a National team playing against A Village Team. Nothing against the performers…it’s not their fault if their opponents are weak…but what purpose does it serve to have this sorta contest?” he wrote.
“In principle, there’s a lot of merit in including as many teams as it takes to cover a country of 1.3 billion people. But the haste with which Lodha Committee implemented the great thought and plan…made it ineffective. The greatness of an idea is often in its execution. Ends.
“It resulted in these newly included States scampering to put a team together. Fringe players from bigger teams were brought in…which resulted in defeating the very purpose of their inclusion. Also, the lopsided contests devalued First Class records massively
“India’s success at the highest level is the result of BCCI creating an extremely robust domestic structure. A structure that tested and prepared the next generation to don the India colours. Constant efforts were made to bridge the gulf between teams,” he added.