After the recent debacle in Australia, the cricketing establishment, players and the media have suddenly woken up to the importance of Ranji Trophy, India’s premier first class tournament.

The struggling Indian batters decided to turn out for their State sides to get into form. The most talked about instance was that of Virat Kohli turning out for Delhi, after many years, against Railways last week. This led to a huge frenzy among both the fans and the media. Huge crowds turned up just to watch Kohli bat at the nets of the Arun Jaitley Stadium. On match day, according to media reports, fans lined up out side the stadium since early morning. The stadium that day was packed (unheard of for a Ranji match) and some even cheered when Delhi batter Yash Dhull got out as Kohli was next up. Unfortunately for Kohli the outing was a largely forgettable one — he lasted barely for 15 balls, scoring 6, before his off stump was disturbed by an ecstatic Himanshu Sangwan.

But what happened after that was even more incredible. Soon after Kohli’s departure the crowd quickly evaporated as it didn’t have the time to see Ayush Badoni and Sumit Mathur stitch an important 133-run partnership which proved crucial for Delhi’s eventual victory.

Ranji Trophy’s dipping interest

That cricket is a religion for most Indians is a cliche that has been done to death. But even the most devout would struggle to recall the name of the reigning Ranji champions (Mumbai, since you asked), spoilt as they are by the deluge of international cricket.

The Ranji Trophy’s devaluation started steadily since the 1990s when the crowded international schedule forced international cricketers to skip it. To bring back crowds to Ranji matches the BCCI should schedule international fixtures in such a way that international cricketers are available for their State sides at least in the knock-out stages. Ranji Trophy can never compete with the glitzy IPL. But the devout would still love to watch Jasprit Bumrah having a go at Virat Kohli in a Ranji tie.

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