‘Surfaces of this kind take skills out of the picture’ – Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary, the Bengal captain, has called for surfaces of the kind that hosted the India-England Tests in Rajkot and Visakhapatnam to be prepared for the Ranji Trophy. His assessment comes after the season’s first two-day finish, Baroda’s 21-run win against Bengal in a Group A fixture in Lahli, where the fast bowlers claimed all 40 wickets.

As many as 23 wickets fell on the opening day, the most in a day so far this season, with neither side managing to pass 100 in their first innings. The remaining 17 fell on day two. That Tiwary’s fourth-innings 39 was the highest score of the match indicated how tough batting was at a venue that has traditionally been regarded as a seamer’s paradise.

“I think we should be playing on surfaces close to what the Indian team plays on in the current season so that those who perform and are picked immediately don’t have to make drastic adjustments,” Tiwary told ESPNcricinfo. “I said it even yesterday, when we had a chance of winning despite conceding a lead, that on these kind of surfaces you can’t be chasing more than 120. Not really ideal, isn’t it?

“It would be good to play on surfaces …

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