Indian cricket has often toyed with the idea of hosting Ranji Trophy matches at neutral venues. nfl jerseys china . Earlier it was only the knockout games, towards the end of the season, but this year all matches will be played at neutral venues.Opinion has always been divided on this topic. Home advantage plays an important role in a teams fortunes, and so resistance to the idea of neutral games is understandable. In fact, it was at Sachin Tendulkars behest that knockout matches were moved from neutral venues back to home and away. The pitch, the crowd and the comfort of playing at home cannot be replicated elsewhere.Its not that those in power arent aware that people in, say, Punjab are unlikely to turn up to watch a match between Gujarat and Karnataka. They must also know that its likely to be a logistical nightmare to make every team travel the length and the breadth of the country in an already packed schedule (Ranji teams each play eight four-day matches in nine weeks). So why have they chosen to take a path that looks set to be a struggle from the outset? For the answers, we must delve into the underlying factors involved.Pitch preparation Two key elements determine the quality of cricket on display: one, the quality of the teams involved, and two, the quality of the playing surface. By putting teams in three tiers, with relegation and promotion, the BCCI has ensured the quality of teams in any given tier is largely uniform. Barring a couple of matches here and there, most games are between equally matched sides.But in spite of the BCCIs best efforts, the quality of pitches hasnt changed over the years. Since pitch preparation is the host states prerogative, the quality of the pitch has solely depended on the teams strengths and on their position in the league phase. The first aspect above is acceptable, while it is debatable whether the second is.Often we see that when the hosts need a win to avoid relegation or qualify for the knockouts, the pitch isnt good enough to last four days. Last season there were as many as 29 matches that finished inside three days, of which the hosts won 19; the hosts won six of the nine games that finished inside two days. On the other hand, if the hosts need only a draw to stay relevant, the same pitch becomes a road. While theres nothing wrong in allowing the hosts a fair amount of say in pitch preparation, the situation as it currently stands is not ideal in terms of developing the skills of the next generation of Indian cricketers.By moving to neutral venues, the issue of pitches doctored to suit the demands of the host team is neutralised completely. Since pitch preparation will be out of the teams domain, they will be forced to strive harder to pick well-rounded cricketers.India is blessed to have different-natured pitches across the country. For example, the pitches in Dharamsala, Indore, Lahli in Rohtak, and Moti Bagh in Baroda are seamer-friendly; those in Chennai, Rajkot and Hyderabad can easily be made perfect for spinners; and Mohali, Wankhede and Eden Gardens can be good for batsmen. It would be great if every team is scheduled to play their matches on different kinds of surfaces. That will encourage players to construct their game so it suits all conditions, and ultimately it will separate the wheat from the chaff. Home advantage? An important argument for not hosting matches at neutral venues is the lack of crowd support. Theres nothing worse than showcasing your skills in empty stadiums. People are unlikely to turn up in numbers to watch a match in which their home team isnt involved.However, while theres merit in this argument, the fact is, crowds havent been turning up for Ranji games anyway. Ive played matches in which as many as ten current or former international players turned out but there werent more than a handful of people watching.Unfortunately there has been an apparent lack of interest or affinity towards state teams in this country, at least in the big cities. It does change a little at smaller venues but only a little. So if people arent turning up in any case, the argument that home support is missing at neutral venues becomes moot. In my opinion, hosting matches at neutral venues provides an opportunity for the BCCI to change this too. It will take concerted efforts to bring in crowds, but that sort of effort has been lacking from most state associations thus far anyway.The Cricket Association of Bengal has shown the way by getting people in for the Super League Cup final between two club sides last month. Yes, the match was broadcast live and there was novelty around the pink ball, but it wasnt just that, for a lot of Ranji games are broadcast live too. The match was publicised quite heavily in the local media and people were not just made aware of the fact that entry was free but also encouraged to become a part of history. Eden Gardens saw close to 15,000 people come in across four days, which is incredible given the attendance - or lack of it - for even Ranji finals.Its important to get the marketing right. All Ranji matches are played on weekends now. In addition to free entry, make games a great day out for the people who take time out to show up. More importantly, make matches a fun family day out. Allow kids to play on the ground during breaks or after the end of the days play. Run contests that involve the cricketers who are playing. And so on and so forth.Sometimes you need to get out of your comfort zone to make things happen. By hosting Ranji games at neutral venues, and taking the onus on itself, away from the state associations, the BCCI has made a start towards doing just that. wholesale jerseys . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. jerseys from china . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. http://www.cheapauthenticjerseysnflchina.net/ . PAUL, Minn.In his latest column, Guillem Balague says Barcelonas dependence on Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar is becoming excessive. Sky Sports Spanish expert also looks at Zinedine Zidanes tactical masterclass against Atletico Madrid, who are struggling defensively under Diego Simeone.Balague also answers your Twitter questions, including the likelihood of Messi joining Manchester City, and whether Luis Suarez deserves to win the Ballon dOr ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. Barcelona have dropped seven points at home in the league, which is unheard of in recent times. In Alaves and Malaga, they have come up against five at the back and they took points from them, but this Barcelona side should still beat that.They had 29 shots in the 0-0 draw against Malaga, with eight on target, and 99 times out of 100 they would win that game - but they didnt on this occasion.This is a Barcelona made for the front three. If two of them are missing - like Messi and Suarez were against Malaga - then they do not seem to be as comfortable or have as many collective answers as they used to in the past. Barcelona were held to a goalless draw by Malaga in La Liga In the four games they dropped points, Messi has either not featured or hasnt played the 90 minutes, which again suggests their excessive dependence on him. Theyve only gone five games without conceding this season, and the second line arent adding a lot - Denis Suarez, Arda Turan, Lucas Digne, Paco Alcacer and Andre Gomes all have to improveThe fact that its Barcelonas worst start since 2004 suggests that this league is the strongest it has been for many years. But it was also a weaker, more predictable Barcelona.Real second string providing welcome headache for ZidaneIts interesting that Real have managed to win difficult games without one or two of their superstars. They did it against Real Sociedad, Real Betis and of course Atletico Madrid - with Pepe, Sergio Ramos and Toni Kroos all missing the 3-0 derby win over Atletico. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 39th career hat-trick to help Real to a dominant win over rivals Atletico Madrid Injuries have worked in favour of Zidane, and the likes of Lucas Vazquez, Nacho, Mateo Kovacic and Isco all look hungry. The second line of players have responded really well and that hasnt happened so well for Barcelona or Atletico.I have criticised Zidane a lot in the past because he hadnt done enough for the team at times, and what I hear from the changing room is that he is not the most motivational of coaches. However, he actually did some very interesting things against Atletico which meant he regained some credit.Firstly, to have Gareth Bale on the left and Lucas on the right in a midfield five, they had to track Atleticos full-backs. And they both did really well, which is not always easy as Atletico create so much danger in the wide areas. Guillem Balague reserved special praise for Zinedine Zidane, having previously criticised the Real Madrid coach Zidane also played Isco in a free role in behind Ronaldo, who is looking more and more comfortable as a nine. Isco always found space in that position and Atletico did not know how to deal with it.Thats now 29 games without losing for the fourth time in their history and you have to give credit to Zidane. Not only does he have a calm demeanour, but he has managed to benefit from their injuries, getting everybody competitive. Atletico was their biggest test of the season so far and you have to give Zidane top marks.Are Atletico becoming too attack-minded?There is a divide in the Atletico camp about Kokes position. If he plays in central midfield, the team becomes better offensively and they score more. But it also becomes weaker defensively; for instance, they have conceded in five consecutive games for the first time under Diego Simeone. Highlights of the Madrid derby between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid In the first half against Real Madrid, it seemed less intense from Atletico when they were without the ball, and they looked stretched in terms of positioning. cheap nfl jerseys. They could not deal with Isco, when in the past they would have.Antoine Griezmann has gone five league games without scoring and they have conceded eight goals in the last four. In their three last defeats, they did not even score. So thats where Atletico are now.Its interesting to consider why Simeone perhaps thought of leaving in the summer. Maybe he felt he had given as much as he could with this side, while perhaps he thought that he could not improve them.After losing points against Alaves and Leganes, he went for a more offensive team, which appeared to be working. But in recent games it hasnt, so Simeone has to decide which way to go now that he is dedicated to Atletico in the short-term. Hes going to have to decide whether he goes back to the essence or if he continues with this new Atletico. Atletico Madrids French forward Antoine Griezmann has struggled in front of goal in the past five games Guillem answers your Twitter questionsDo you think Messi will leave Barcelona for Manchester City? Lesley @shortielady7I dont think so. After El Classico in December, Messi, his dad Jorge, and Barcelona will meet up. Barca want to make sure hes happy with the finances and everything else. Its the priority for Messi to stay, but there are things that have to be sorted.Firstly, the wages - seeing the strong squad they have, Barcelona must renew the key players and Suarez, Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta are likely to be next.Secondly, there is the tax case, where there will be an appeal in the summer. We will have to see what the situation with that is, and how that affects both Messi and his dad personally.Thirdly, Messi might want to let the contract run out but Barcelona are convinced that will not happen.I have said in the past that it has entered his mind to leave Barcelona, but that doesnt mean he will. We are in the same position. If it gets to a day when he has to say yes or no, I think he will stay at Barcelona. Luis Suarez is a contender for the Ballon dOr, having won the Golden Shoe award for his goalscoring exploits last season Do you think Suarez will win the Ballon dOr like he should? Rory @RoryOCGMessi is ahead of Suarez in terms of importance to Barcelona but it feels like Ronaldo will win it this time. He scored a hat-trick against Atletico on the weekend and there is just over a week before the end of voting.A lot of people will argue that Ronaldo did not play well in the Champions League final, but of course he scored a penalty - perhaps this is not enough to win the Ballon dOr as he was injured in the Euro 2016 final as well.But... he was important to Portugal in the Euros and for Real against Wolfsburg in the Champions League, so well see. It looks like Ronaldo is ahead, but lets not forget that Messi won the league and cup with Barcelona.Will Isco start to get more game time after his display in the derby? Amin AlHawareen @AmeenAlHawareenThe impression we all have is that when Benzema is back, he will revert to 4-3-3 which takes Isco out the side. He gave a really good display against Atletico but he does not do that consistently enough, but he should be ahead of Benzema right now. Theres no doubt about it but I dont think Zidane agrees with that. Balague says Tottenhan fans can forget about signing Isco (left) in January Any update on proposed Isco to Spurs in January? Ross J @pennywiseKForget it, its not going to happen. Zero chances of that happening. Real are seeing that he is improving and they are thinking of giving him a new contract.Remember, Real cannot sign for two transfer windows.Whatll be Enriques tactics in future after this weeks huge upset? Especially without stars like Messi and Suarez. @me_rishabh7The front three normally wins them every game. The problem is that when they are not there, there is not enough layers in this Barcelona side.It should be enough to beat a team like Malaga, but there wont be any changes of tactics. Theyll continue with the same idea. 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