Does domestic cricket support mediocrity?

Domestic cricket in India has the twin responsibility of being a nursery and a rehab centre. It should facilitate seamless progression from one level to the next. A player who drops one level is required to grind his way back to the top, thus "rehabilitating" himself. Conversely, the circuit is also a conduit for young talent attempting to make it to the big league.

However, the system in its present form supports mediocrity to a large extent. The sanctity of domestic cricket can only be protected if conditions are conducive to quality.

In this context, the need to prepare good pitches cannot be over-emphasised. The preparation of cricket pitches in recent times is comparable to experiments in a laboratory. The results can be confusing, as data collected largely depends on the performers. However, the effort to make a pitch with a vision to improve quality can never be an accident. It is perhaps time to demand surfaces that satisfy the two most important features - consistent bounce and adequate moisture.

In a recent Ranji Trophy game in Mohali, Karnataka's pace bowlers R Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun and S Aravind put on a wonderful display on a near-perfect surface. A generous grass cover and adequate moisture with consistent bounce made cricket enriching for all concerned. It was a real test of discipline and character for batsmen like Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa. An outright result in the end was the icing on the cake.

Vadodara's Moti Bagh ground, along with Mohali, can be the benchmark for sporting pitches. In the last match in Vadodara (against Uttar Pradesh), seam, swing, spin, and bounce brought the best out of both teams. While Munaf Patel, Sudeep Tyagi and Bhuvneshwar Kumar enjoyed the seam and bounce, Yusuf Pathan excelled in a different dimension with spin. The batsmen, too, gained from the experience. Despite hot and humid conditions, the bowlers always charged in with the hope of producing a wicket-taking ball against a set batsman.

In recent years of watching domestic cricket, I have found nothing more frustrating than watching a match on a placid surface. In one of the season openers this year, Delhi fell short of Bengal's 473 by 14 runs at the Kotla. The contest ended as soon as the first-innings points were resolved, leaving the fourth day as a mere formality. Only Virat Kohli's century in the pursuit stood out.

It is these flat tracks that encourage teams to merely focus on securing the first-innings lead. The tight schedule means there are not too many rest days for travel and recovery. Hence the instinct to preserve the lead performers becomes a priority over a stronger push for outright wins.

The situation evokes a debate in my mind as to whether the system is in dire need of an overhaul that will help provide a surface that puts to litmus test a player's batting, or bowling ability. Further, I feel there is justification for a five-day game, if only to inject a sense of competitiveness that goes beyond the battle for the first-innings lead, as seems to be the case, going by a majority of matches thus far. Although how the BCCI can fit in these longer games in an already tight schedule will make up for another debate.

Domestic cricket is the base of the pyramid, and all possible measures should be taken to make it as strong as possible.