Indian board to debate domestic revamp, quicker pitches

Indian cricket authorities will meet in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss ways of revamping the domestic game and improving the quality of pitches, a senior board official said.

BCCI vice-president C.K. Khanna said on Tuesday that any proposed changes in India's domestic game would not have the desired effect if livelier pitches were not prepared as a priority.

Indian batsmen struggle on bouncy pitches abroad and this weakness has been attributed to their much slower pitches at home, he said.

The technical committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), under former captain Sunil Gavaskar, will also address the issue of over-age players in junior cricket, Khanna said.

"Domestic cricket must encourage the maximum participation of international players," he said.

Changes considered for India's domestic tournaments include the introduction of a two-tier competition for the Ranji trophy national championship and the transformation of the Duleep trophy inter-zonal tournament into a knockout format.

Mail Cricket Editor