Former India player Mohammad Kaif said that the batters' dominance in the domestic tournament poses a worrying sign, adding that domestic cricket needed urgent attention. (Express Photo)
The 2025-26 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy has seen teams piling on mountains of runs with Bihar’s record of 574 runs, courtesy of a record breaking ton by teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, in the opening day against Arunachal Pradesh leading the charge. Even scores over 400 were not safe as witnessed in the match between Jharkhand and Karnataka with the latter chasing down 412 runs. Devdutt Padikkal has already scored 3 centuries while players like Aryan Juyal and Dhruv Shorey have 2 each.
“Worrying signs from Vijay Hazare. 350 runs target not safe, quickfire 100 in every other game, bowlers making no impact. Has run-making become easy? Are we just producing batsmen? Domestic cricket needs urgent attention,” Kaif said on X.
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 2, 2026
Even the highest-ever total in T20 history, spanning over 16,000 matches, was etched in a school ground in Indore last year when an overbearing Baroda set a 350-run target for Sikkim and won the contest by 263 runs. Last November, Meghalaya’s Akash Kumar Choudhary similarly attained First-Class status for his eight consecutive sixes against Arunachal in a Ranji Trophy plate outing in Surat – a never-before seen feat in all 250 years of recognised red-ball cricket.
After the Bihar vs Arunachal Vijaya Hazare match, spin legend R Ashwin had said on his YouTube channel, “Huge applause for Vaibhav Suryavanshi. But I again want to ask a question. There is a huge divide, chalk and cheese, in terms of quality with some teams. It becomes very lop-sided and there is no contest at all.”
“Credit to Vaibhav for his performance. He is doing what he has to do. But if we are serious about teams like Arunachal Pradesh becoming good sides, what will this do to their confidence?”
Curated by Dr. Elena Rodriguez
