The ongoing Elite Group A match between Jammu and Kashmir and Baroda in Ranji Trophy has hogged limelight for wrong reasons. The game, which is being played at the Reliance Stadium in Vadodara, was marred by controversy after serious allegations were made against the Baroda team. The visiting team Jammu and Kashmir made the allegations that their opponents tampered with the pitch in which the match was being played. The protest from J&K players also saw the match starting late on the third day of play.
The incident happened on Saturday when J&K’s coach Ajay Sharma felt that there was a difference in the colour of the pitch that was in play for the first two days, reported The Indian Express. An official complaint has also been filed by the side regarding the same issue.
On the other hand, hosts Baroda have clearly denied the claims, calling it “baseless”.
“The allegations made by the J&K coach are baseless. The outfield was wet and due to winter there was moisture on the pitch and even the outfield was wet. The umpire too felt the same. Anyone who has played cricket will understand that during winter there is moisture on the pitch and sometimes the outfield takes time to dry. Sometimes matches are delayed but calling it as pitch-fixed and blaming the association for this, we will not accept these allegations. We will be approaching the BCCI for remarks made by the coach,” said a Baroda Cricket Association official as reported by the newspaper.
The match holds a lot of significance for both the teams, especially Baroda. While a win could help Jammu and Kashmir finish on top of their group, Baroda too need a victory to make it to the quarter-finals.
Jammu and Kashmir have set a 365-run target for Baroda in the match.