Uttarakhand coach promises ‘good team’ in two years

Bhaskar Pillai, the Uttarakhand coach, feels the newbies should be persisted with and should be given support in terms of infrastructure.

The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Dehradun hosted Uttarakhand's home games.

With the induction of nine new teams into the Ranji Trophy teams this season, a school of thought in Indian cricket is convinced the premier domestic tournament has been diluted. Even the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI’s) cricket operations wing has been mulling over whether to persist with the newbies.

Bhaskar Pillai, the Uttarakhand coach, feels the newbies should be persisted with and should be given support in terms of infrastructure. “Maybe it’s too early for these teams to be playing four-day games but now that you have started it, it’s best if it’s continued,” Pillai said on the eve of Uttarakhand’s Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against defending champion Vidarbha.

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“The need of the hour for most teams, especially in the north-east is infrastructure. They should be provided the infrastructure support and the coaches can be outsourced. There is an abundance of talent in these regions,” he said.

“As for Uttarakhand, once the state association is formed and it takes over from the ad-hoc committee, then a full-fledged academy can be functional and once that happens, trust me Uttarakhand will have a real good team in two to three years.”