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In a bid to present their three-pronged pace attack with ideal conditions in which to operate, the KSCA has taken the final to the Gangotri Glades in Mysore, which has already hosted two games this season including the quarterfinal against Punjab ten days ago.
For the first time in recent memory, the final of the top domestic event in the country will not be held at a major international venue. That is no discredit, though, for on the evidence of all the games that have been held in Mysore, there will be no shortage of atmosphere.
Rahul Dravid supported the move to take the final to a ‘smaller’ centre, going to the extent of averring that the future of domestic competitions in India was away from the big cities.
“There hasn’t been a five-day game played at the Gangotri Glades before, so that will be a new thing for the venue and a challenge as well,” Dravid said on Wednesday. “But it should be a great atmosphere. There is a great history in Mysore as well. I am sure the game will be very well supported, there will be a lot of crowd all the days of the match.
“It’s a great way to take the game outside of Bangalore,” he added. “It’s a great advertisement to develop the infrastructure in Mysore and also to take the game away from the big cities into the smaller towns, which I feel is where the future of the Ranji Trophy is. More and more games must now be played, I believe, in smaller places, as long as the facilities are good. As long as you have practice wickets, a good match pitches, decent outfields and decent dressing room facilities, there is no reason why matches should not be played in smaller venues.”
The Glades surface, Dravid pointed out, was another reason why the final was moving to Mysore. “We didn’t play the semifinal there in Mysore because we thought we could come here and get some more pace and bounce in the wicket. We couldn’t get that here, so we are going back to Mysore now to try and get some pace and bounce. The bounce will be better in Mysore than it is here, that is for sure.”