BCCI Technical Committee recommendations

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, AUG. 12. The Technical Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) - of which batting legend Sunil Gavaskar is the Chairman - has proposed to the establishment that the inter-zonal Duleep Trophy be played on uncovered pitches from 2001-2002 season. The committee has also recommended that the inter-zonal championship be played on a league format and only at venues where international matches have been played. There are in all 23 venues where Test matches and one-day international matches have been played.

Apart from recommending these changes to the Duleep Trophy, the technical committee has also proposed a new format for the national championship for the Ranji Trophy, founded almost seven decades ago. There has been a demand to replace the open format with a two-level system to enhance competition among the `elite group' teams and thereby upgrade the quality of the championship. All the noise was made by the former cricketers turned commentators.

But representatives of some of the teams regarded as weaklings privately voiced their dissent arguing that the `two- level' system would be unfair and eliminate 17 teams straightaway from vying for the Ranji Trophy. But at the Technical Committee meeting in Baroda on Saturday, there appeared to be near unanimity among the members and should the changes get the approval of the Working Committee in Mumbai on August 25 and afterwards at the AGM, a new two-level system will be introduced from 2002-2003 season.

``It was a very good two and a half hour meeting. There were suggestions from a couple of members that 15 teams (three teams from each zone) should form the elite Group `A', but Sunil Gavaskar convinced them that the changes were being contemplated only to make sure that the best teams competed against each other for the national title,'' said Mr. Lele.

Besides Gavaskar, the others who attended the meeting in Baroda were Messrs. Raj Singh Dungarpur, Chandu Borde, M.P. Pandove, Dr. M.K. Bhargava, Prof. R.S. Rathore, Kiran More, Kamal Das and special invitees, Arun Lal and Aunshuman Gaekwad. According to Mr. Lele the `two-level system would entail segmenting the 27 first class teams into three groups, the top two teams from each zone, forming the elite Group `A' and the remaining 17 split into Group `B' (9) and Group `C' (8).

The teams in Group `A' will fight for the Ranji Trophy and the teams in the other two groups for a trophy or prize that will be determined by the BCCI. Three teams each from the upper and lower divisions will be relegated and promoted.

``Teams that finish between 8 and 10 in Group `A' will be relegated and the top three teams from the lower division will be promoted. Teams in Group `A' will get to play nine matches. It will be eight and seven matches for the teams placed in Group `B' and Group `C'. The finalists will automatically be promoted and the winner of the play off between the other two semifinalists will be promoted to Group `A'. Once the two-tier system is put in place, the zonal qualifying matches will automatically get removed from 2003-3304 season. Well, these are all only recommendations,'' said Mr. Lele.

The committee also suggested a new points system that would be introduced from 2001-2002 season for both the Ranji and Duleep Trophy tournaments. The committee had proposed that the winning team be awarded two points and the team enjoying the first innings lead (in a no result match) be awarded one point. It had also recommended that no points should be awarded in a match abandoned because of rain.

Narain sets sights on

Japan's premier event

CHENNAI, AUG. 12. Indian racing ace, Narain Karthikeyan, has set his sights on securing the first podium finish in Japan's premier auto circuit after an impressive performance during an official joint testing this week-end.

Karthikeyan showed he is up there among the elite drivers in Japan's Formula Nippon when he posted the fourth fastest time out of 17 cars at the CP Mine circuit. The excite IMPUL driver, clocked a fastest time of one minute, 15,484s, less than four tenths of a second off the pace.

Narain was only 0.206 behind his third placed team- mate Satoshi Motoyama, an experienced Nippon driver, who has already won three races so far this season.

``I did very well at the official testing. It's my best performance in Formula Nippon, and I'm looking for a podium finish ASAP,'' Narain said.

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