Ajinkya Rahane, who led India to a sensational Test series win against Australia in 2020-21 , wants all Ranji Trophy matches to be played over five days.
Speaking on Friday after Mumbai failed to qualify for the Ranji quarterfinals, Rahane said, "First-Class cricket can become five-day cricket. We play Test matches over five days and in five days the possibility of a result is almost guaranteed. Every game should be result-oriented. In four-day games, on flat decks, you don't really get results. We tried to get as many results as possible but it becomes challenging. In five-day cricket, that will happen more frequently. I don't know how it can be fit into the calendar, but five-day cricket will help domestic cricketers to get used to the rigours of First-Class cricket."
"If you play out a session, you can save a match in four-day games but if you are made to slog for three more sessions, it will give them a better opportunity to develop as Test players. How to survive sessions, how to bowl with discipline, all these factors can be taken care of. Quarterfinals onwards, all games are five-day games anyway. It can be done in the league stage too," Rahane added.
