Former India cricketer and selector Dilip Vengsarkar has put the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) under the spotlight, questioning the rationale behind scheduling an India A series while the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 campaign has already begun. A 15-member India A team is set to tour New Zealand around the same time the senior national team will be in the country for an all-format assignment.
However, with the Ranji Trophy campaign underway, Vengsarkar said that he has failed to understand the need for an ‘A’ team tour.
With the year 2027 set to bring the ODI World Cup, it is also important to prepare a pool of players with the experience of limited-overs cricket in tough conditions. Because you are diluting the importance of your premier domestic tournament, “This idea of having a shadow tour when your own domestic season is on is plain ridiculous. Also, if players selected for ‘A’ tours do not eventually feature in the Test series, the acclimatisation benefit is lost while the domestic circuit suffers.
Vengsarkar did not mince his words as he branded the decision “plain ridiculous”, saying it dilutes the importance of a premier domestic tournament. Vengsarkar told the Times of India . “If your best domestic players are playing for India A during the Ranji Trophy, then the performances of those who score runs and take wickets in the Ranji Trophy get devalued,” said Vengsarkar, a former India chief selector. “If you want your players to acclimatise early to the conditions and local environment, then send your main team early,” Vengsarkar, a 116-Test veteran, further said. From a high-performance management standpoint, “shadow tours” allow fringe players to adapt to foreign conditions, such as the pace and bounce in New Zealand or Australia, shortly before or during a senior tour.
“Why do you have an India A tour when the Ranji Trophy season is in progress? What’s the point of holding the Ranji Trophy then? “It’s beyond me why these A tours are being organised during the domestic season. India’s red-ball team has long been criticised for underwhelming performances. Veterans like Sunil Gavaskar have repeatedly urged even national team players to feature more in the Ranji Trophy. Yet, having promising next-generation players and those fighting for a regular spot in the national team being sent on A tours rather than playing in the Ranji Trophy is a decision that has baffled many. “There’s no point sending players who are not even going to play in the Test series. Is BCCI Right to Schedule India A tours during the Ranji Trophy? a few more factors need to be considered before settling the debate While Vengsarkar is outrightly against such tours. It gives the national selectors more options to pick from, especially if a few fringe players manage to acclimatise to foreign pitches quickly, reducing the risk of bringing unadapted players directly into high-stakes Test matches. However, Vengsarkar isn’t entirely wrong. Pulling top performers out of state teams weakens the quality and competitiveness of the Ranji Trophy.
