The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Ranji Trophy team staged a protest against Baroda on Saturday accusing the hosts of tampering with the pitch in their ongoing match.
The protest occurred on Day 3 of the crucial Elite Group A game between the two teams at the Reliance Stadium in Vadodara. The incident caused a delay in the start of play, which was scheduled for 9:30 am but began at 10:55 am instead.
Jammu and Kashmir’s players and management raised concerns after noticing a drastic change in the pitch conditions between Day 2 and Day 3. They claimed that the pitch had been balanced during the second day of play, but by the start of Day 3, it had become damp and unpredictable. This made batting significantly harder and led to their protest.
The allegations were made by J&K’s coach, Ajay Sharma, who noticed a difference in the color of the pitch. He believed that this change was unusual and suggested it could have been altered overnight. As a result, J&K filed an official complaint with the relevant authorities regarding the state of the pitch.
The protest by the visitors delayed the match, with play starting later than usual.
On the other hand, Baroda denied the accusations, calling them “baseless.” A representative from the Baroda Cricket Association explained that the pitch had moisture due to the winter conditions, which caused the surface to be damp.
The representative added that the outfield was also wet, and both the umpires and players were aware of the conditions. According to Baroda, these natural conditions were to blame for the changes in the pitch, not any deliberate action to alter it.
The Baroda official also said that such delays were common in winter and that it was not unusual for matches to be affected by moisture. The Baroda Cricket Association expressed their intention to approach the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding the allegations made by J&K.
The match was important for both teams. For J&K, a win would ensure they topped their group, while Baroda needed a victory to advance to the quarter-finals.
Despite the controversy surrounding the pitch, Jammu and Kashmir managed to set Baroda a target of 365 runs—(KNO)
