When a Four-Day Match Becomes a Single Afternoon Affair: The Ranji Trophy's Unsettling Spectacle

Cricket, in its purest Test match form, is often hailed as a grueling test of patience, skill, and endurance, unfolding over five glorious days. Yet, for a bizarre moment in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, India’s premier first-class competition, this grand old format decided to, well, speed things up. And by "speed things up," I mean it wrapped up an entire match – a supposed four-day affair, mind you – in fewer than ninety overs. Honestly, it was less than a single day’s play.

The stage for this head-scratching spectacle? The PCA Stadium in Mullanpur. The protagonists? Chandigarh and Jammu & Kashmir. What transpired was nothing short of extraordinary, and frankly, a bit alarming. We saw Chandigarh bundled out for a paltry 63 runs in their first innings. J&K then took to the crease, managing a marginally better, yet still incredibly low, 90. A slim 27-run lead, yes, but who could have predicted what came next?

Chandigarh, batting again, crumbled for just 65. And just like that, J&K, chasing a mere 39 for victory, found themselves lifting their bats in triumph, winning the match by a shocking two runs, securing a first-innings lead victory, and all this before the sun had even properly settled on day one. It wasn't just a quick match; it was an unprecedented sprint in a marathon event.

Now, you might wonder, what on earth happened? The whispers quickly turned to shouts about the pitch. A veritable minefield, by all accounts, teeming with green grass and offering prodigious seam and swing movement. Great for the bowlers, of course, who were having an absolute field day, but a nightmarish landscape for anyone attempting to wield a bat. In truth, it begged the question: was this a fair contest?

What truly adds a layer of surreal irony to this whole scenario is the presence of several Indian Premier League (IPL) stars. Chandigarh had Mayank Markande, a leg-spinner with IPL pedigree, while J&K boasted Vivrant Sharma, an all-rounder who also features in the cash-rich league. And though he didn’t play in this particular game, Umran Malik, the pace sensation, is also part of the J&K squad. It's a stark, almost comical, contrast – these players, accustomed to the glitz and flat tracks of T20, suddenly found themselves embroiled in a first-class match that barely lasted as long as two T20 games combined.

This isn't an isolated incident either, you could say. Just recently, another Ranji Trophy fixture between Andhra and Mumbai met a similarly swift end, wrapping up inside a single day. These events, back-to-back, certainly raise eyebrows. Are the pitches being prepared with due diligence? Or are we seeing a worrying trend of surfaces that, while providing excitement for bowlers, fundamentally undermine the essence of multi-day cricket and, crucially, player development?

First-class cricket is meant to be the crucible where future Test stars are forged, where batsmen learn to graft and bowlers learn to toil. When matches conclude in such an abbreviated fashion, one has to ask: what lessons are truly being learned? It’s a moment for reflection, for the BCCI and state associations alike, to perhaps re-evaluate the playing conditions. Because, honestly, no one wants to see a Ranji Trophy match disappear faster than a forgotten New Year's resolution.