Ranji Trophy Diary: Killing time in smog and IPL auction fever hits home!

Our correspondents bring you the highlights and intriguing moments, both on and off the field, from the fifth round of Ranji Trophy fixtures.

Staying prepped: A sudden smog delay to the Haryana vs. Kerala Ranji Trophy match saw both teams staying active with warm-up sessions in other sports, making the most of the unexpected break before the match began. | Photo Credit: Pranay Rajiv

Cricket is probably the only sport where players warm up for a game by playing another sport.

Imagine Novak Djokovic whipping out a cricket bat before a Wimbledon final and playing a couple of straight drives into the net. Too much grass on the surface, he would say. Sorry!

As the start of the Ranji Trophy match between Haryana and Kerala was delayed due to an unexpected bout of smog, this unique occurrence was on full display.

Both teams started with a game of foot volley — separately, of course — with training hurdles and plastic chairs acting as make-shift nets.

Evidently, one team was better at this sport than the other. While one struggled to maintain rallies with their stiff footwork, it was boringly easy for the other. You know which one is which. Trust the stereotype.

Soon enough, the Kerala players caught hold of a couple of fielding nets, converted them to goals, and started a game of three-on-three football. Who is surprised?

The home players, though, chose to return to their basics, as they kickstarted a passionate game of one-pitch, one-hand tennis ball cricket right in front of their dressing room. Meanwhile, the Kerala players wrapped up their football game. But with the smog refusing to subside, there was still some time to bide. And thus began a game of tennis, if you could call it that.

The foot-volley nets retained their position. Two tennis racquets were acquired. But you need two more to play doubles, right? Out came two cricket bats, one the normal size and the other the shorter one used for fielding practice. Talk about innovation. Unlike the foot volley game, this was a struggle — to play and watch. The rallies were comically short, with the tennis ball bouncing all over the place. Soon, the smog dissipated, allowing the players to indulge in the sport they were actually paid to play.

IPL franchises keeping an eye on Ranji Trophy

Vikram Solanki, Gujarat Titans’ Director of Cricket. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI

As the IPL has grown in stature, the competition among franchises to find untapped young talent has only risen.

It has become customary, thus, for these teams to send their coaches, scouts and analysts to the different state-run T20 leagues through the year as well as the country’s premier domestic T20 and 50-over tournaments — the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, respectively.

But with the Ranji Trophy having kicked off the domestic season this time in an effort to retain the primacy of First-Class cricket, IPL franchises didn’t really have an opportunity before the mega auction to track players and make prudent choices based on the domestic white-ball events. Nonetheless, they kept a close tab on the first five rounds of the Ranji season for any insight they could get on the players to back at the mega auction.

When Delhi played Tamil Nadu at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in October, Vikram Solanki, Gujarat Titans’ Director of Cricket, was a keen observer from the media enclosure on all four days of the contest.

For the match between Delhi and Jharkhand in the fifth round, the Titans had assistant coaches Amit Bhandari and Narender Singh Negi at the venue. Even though it was with an eye on the IPL, the Ranji Trophy is at least attracting greater interest than it has in recent seasons.