It's no 'small' talk: With four new Ranji Trophy winners in last five years, domestic field gets competitive

Four new Ranji Trophy champions in last five years means the domestic field is more competitive now

When Madhya Pradesh hoisted their maiden Ranji Trophy last Sunday evening at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, it showed the changing landscape of Indian cricket and for the better. Madhya Pradesh became the fourth first-time winners of the coveted national first-class trophy in the last five years, slaying 41-time champions and title favourites Mumbai in the final.

MP thus joined last edition’s (2019-20) champions Saurashtra, Vidarbha (2017-18 & 2018-19) and Gujarat (2016-17) in the list of once middle-rung teams who dared to dream big and live it. The glorious conclusion, which included fascinating wins over Punjab in the quarterfinals and Bengal in the semifinals, was the result of a decade-long effort by the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association to regain some of the lost glory of Holkar era. The success was the end product of systematic planning from the administrators and players reaping the benefits of it.

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The nerveless show by MP in the final and the confidence that skipper Aditya Shrivastava exhibited before and after the triumph showed how the so-called ‘smaller states’ no longer fear the big teams but instead relish a battle against them. Despite the cross of 1998-99 final heartbreak hanging around their neck and the immense challenge of playing masters Mumbai, not for once did MP players look overwhelmed in perhaps the biggest match of their careers.

They bowled to a plan, out-batted Mumbai with three of their in-form batters — Yash Dubey, Shubham Sharma and Rajat Patidar — scored centuries and then tactically outsmarted the domestic kings on the fourth and fifth days. It was a completely professional show.

“In my opinion, there are no more smaller teams and the competition is huge,” former India opener and TV pundit WV Raman, who was calling the final for the host broadcasters, told DHoS.

“The reason why we are witnessing this shift is that the infrastructure is brilliant in the so-called smaller states. Earlier too there were talents in the smaller centres but then the infrastructure was limited because of which some talents couldn’t be cultivated to the fullest. That issue didn’t exist with states like Mumbai or Karnataka or Tamil Nadu to name a few because the infrastructure was brilliant.

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“But that’s not the case now. MP have been running a brilliant academy and programme for a while now. Vidarbha did that which helped them win back-to-back Ranji trophies. Gujarat invested at the grassroots level. With upcoming players getting the right platform to train, the results are to be seen. A decade ago, players from small states would have to reach the national level or graduate to the NCA (National Cricket Academy) to gain access to high-quality training. It’s no longer the case. Smaller states have started investing in good coaches and support staff at grass root level and the progress has been steady. The money has been well utilised and the hunger and passion to excel is also visible.” Mumbai coach Amol Muzumdar echoed Raman’s thoughts and hailed the BCCI for ensuring ambitious states can achieve their goal of competing against the best. “This season, even though we played Odisha, Goa and Saurashtra in the group phase, it was tough competition. BCCI has been doing exceedingly well in certain aspects in getting things right. As far as the infrastructure is concerned, the support staff, the system is working quite well. There are no more small teams. We had a tough time against Goa as well. So I don’t think there are any more smaller teams. In fact, it’s now a push for bigger state teams like Karnataka, Mumbai and Delhi to take their games to the next level.”

Often criticised, and sometimes unfairly, for being too money-minded and obsessed only with cash cow, the Indian Premier League, the BCCI deserves plenty of credit for setting in motion programmes that have immensely benefited states with hitherto limited infrastructure. While the Board does earn huge amount of revenue through IPL, it also has invested a good part of it in improving the overall cricketing facilities across the nation.

Take MP for example. According to a source, the association used to get Rs 7-8 crore per annum between 1998-2000. Five years later that increased to around Rs 12-15 crore. And when IPL arrived and the monstrous broadcast deals it struck, the money has gone up to Rs 30 crore. Given that the new broadcast deal has broken several records, the budget allocation will only increase.

What this increased cash flow has done is it has allowed smaller states to invest in academies, hire good coaches at the grassroot level to cultivate talent, provide better amenities to its players at all levels, rope in coaches of the calibre of Chandrakant Pandit to oversee the senior side, open up the coffers for positions like video analyst which was a luxury earlier and more importantly sustain this process.

“Fifteen years ago, our major source of revenue was hosting an international game,” said CEO of MPCA Rohit Pandit. “And with India being such a big country, getting a game wasn’t easy too. Now we get good money from the BCCI and states which have utilised that money prudently are reaping the harvest. Success is not achieved overnight, it’s a long process. The emergence of Gujarat, Vidarbha, Saurashtra and MP is proof of how when the state and national associations work in tandem with a larger goal in mind, results can be achieved.

“The increased fund flow has also changed the conservative mindset of smaller associations who earlier had to think twice before spending a penny. Take us for example, it was hard to convince a few people to get Panditji on board. As you know, sir is one of the foremost coaches and cricketing minds in the country and he has his own ways of functioning. And he doesn’t come cheap.

“So for the ones who were not convinced, we had to tell them it’s an investment for the future. And with money being there, it wasn’t hard. Panditji brought two titles with Vidarbha and now one with us. This will only act as a springboard for more success.”

Raman felt the expansion of the game and the increased aspirations augur well for Indian cricket. “No more is the competition between Mumbai-Karnataka, Mumbai-Delhi or Karnataka-Tamil Nadu to speak of. The competition has spread out and this will only make domestic tournaments exciting. I don’t think we may get to see rivalries just between a few top sides. Stronger competition makes stronger players.”