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Jammu and Kashmir accused Baroda of pitch tampering during their 2025 Ranji Trophy match. The match was delayed due to alleged pitch changes, but Baroda denied the claims, citing winter moisture.
Krunal Pandya’s Baroda has been accused of ‘pitch fixing’. (Representative picture, Credit: Sportzpics)
The Jammu and Kashmir men’s first-class team accused Baroda of ‘pitch fixing’ and tampering on the third day of their crucial match in the 2025 Ranji Trophy at the Reliance Stadium. The Jammu and Kashmir players protested because they felt the surface they saw in the morning was different from the one they played on the second day, leading to a significant delay in the start of the day’s play.
The match was a decider for the playoffs in Group A. A draw would have seen visitors J&K through while Baroda needed an outright win to qualify. J&K were at 125/1 at the start of the day with a lead of 205 runs.
According to a report in The Indian Express, the visiting coach Ajay Sharma felt the colour of the pitch had changed and believed the pitch had been tampered with. He brought up the issue with umpires Pashchim Pathak and Ravi Teja and the match referee Arjan Kripal Singh.
After much deliberation, the match started around 11 am IST, 1.5 hours after the scheduled time. The official reason the BCCI mentioned for the delay was ‘dampness in the pitch’. Baroda denied the accusation and cited the same reason for the alleged change in color of the 22 yards.
“The allegations made by the J&K coach are baseless. The outfield was wet and due to winter there was moisture on the pitch and even the outfield was wet. The umpire too felt the same. Anyone who has played cricket will understand that during winter there is moisture on the pitch and sometimes the outfield takes time to dry. Sometimes matches are delayed but calling it as pitch-fixed and blaming the association for this, we will not accept these allegations. We will be approaching the BCCI for remarks made by the coach,” the newspaper reported quoted a Baroda Cricket Association official as saying.
J&K led by 314 runs with the fall of their ninth wicket at 234 runs. Baroda captain Krunal Pandya and two other spinners, Mahesh Pithiya and Ninad Rathva had taken three wickets each. The same bowlers had combined for nine wickets in the first innings too, with Rathva leading with a five-wicket-haul.
