Karnataka file official complaint over pitch

Karnataka have filed an official complaint with match referee Manu Nayar against the Reliance Stadium pitch in Vadodara on which their Ranji Trophy semi-final against Baroda ended inside two days in a seven-wicket win for the hosts. Nayar confirmed the development to ESPNcricinfo. "As is normal procedure, I have forwarded the complaint to the BCCI along with my match report. The matter is with the board now."

The dry pitch took vicious turn throughout the game, which saw 33 wickets falling before tea on the second day, 23 of them to the spinners. Karnataka caved in for 107 and 88 to lose while Baroda managed 153 in their first innings, largely due to captain Pinal Shah (83) who was the lone half-centurion in the game.

Javagal Srinath, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) secretary, said that they were contemplating whether to lodge a separate protest with the BCCI on the issue. "As of now, the players have filed an official complaint letter to the match referee. We at the KSCA can only take a call once we speak to the players and coach," Srinath told PTI. "We will speak to them and then only decide our course of action."

The Karnataka players were unhappy with the nature of the wicket, and Robin Uthappa even said that it was unfit to play a semi-final on. A source from the Baroda camp, however, told ESPNcricinfo that there was not much reason for Karnataka to complain. "They won the toss, they opted to bat, and if they caved in for 107, I cannot see how it is anyone else's problem but theirs. The wicket was the same for both the sides. And if it was such a spinners' paradise, how was a fast bowler (Baroda's Murtuja Vahora) able to take five wickets in the first innings?"