Toss vital in evening games, says Shardul Thakur

As dew dictated the evening contests at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Super League, Mumbai captain Shardul Thakur suggested that the timings of the evening games should be revised in order to provide the teams with a level playing field.

In the ongoing tournament, the evening fixtures start at 4.30 p.m., and Shardul believes that as the dew sets in, toss becomes crucial and the teams bowling first eventually gain an upper hand.

“The timings are a bit odd. The venue has been used before, so there are a lot of used pitches here, so they water it and roll it again. So, when you are playing a morning game, there is a lot of dampness on the pitch, and then it settles down. Even in the evening games, team bowling first gets dry conditions and then suddenly dew comes in, making toss a big factor,” Shardul told the The Hindu.

“A night game should start a little later, so that, if there’s a dew, both teams should have that advantage or disadvantage of playing in such conditions.

“Even the morning games could be pushed a little bit where pitches get a bit of sun and then it dries out. Then both the teams can have those dry conditions. We need to think about it in the longer run,” he added.

Mumbai’s chances of defending the title suffered a blow as it went down to Hyderabad by nine wickets. And, Shardul blamed it on losing wickets at crucial junctures. “We need a little bit of smartness in batting,” he said.