“The postponement is very disappointing. It has not been cancelled yet. Let’s see what happens,” said Easwaran.

The only first-class cricket that Easwaran has played recently was during the India A tour of South Africa in November. He went into the tour neither with the weightage of runs nor with the experience of a red-ball game in 20 months. It didn’t stop him from finishing the series as India A’s second highest run-getter (205 runs in 3 games including a century) behind Hanuma Vihari.

Understandably, Easwaran – whose strong suit is the longest format – is eager to build on the A tour form with an impressive first-class season. “I had been preparing for the Ranji campaign for quite some time now and I have been batting really well,” he said.

Easwaran’s plight is emblematic of a larger issue that is going to confront Indian cricket. While there are financial strains for many in the lower rungs of the system who don’t have IPL contracts and rely on earnings from domestic cricket, it is no less significant that players like Easwaran are having to spend the prime years of their career without honing red-ball skills.

Also read: BCCI postpones Ranji Trophy amidst rise in Covid-19 cases

Madhya Pradesh coach Chandrakant Pandit explained why the current situation may have a corrosive impact in the long run on the India team. “There is going to be a vacuum in the Indian team because we won’t know who the upcoming players are going to be. We may have to continue with players who may not be doing well. It is going to have an impact in terms of developing bench strength for the Indian team. There are ramifications for many cricketers at different stages of their careers. Somebody who is 26 or 27 is losing out on two years of first-class cricket and the chance to get to the international level,” he said, sounding bleak.

‘More focus on white ball’

Goa coach KP Bhaskar, who was a prolific run-getter in domestic cricket for Delhi, foresees players prioritising white-ball formats even more. The Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament and the Vijay Hazare Trophy, after all, have been held both seasons.

“To be honest, the talent that you see coming forward now is from white-ball cricket. If Ranji is not held for say 2-3 years, there is going to be a scarcity of players who are technically correct. As it is, the youngsters who are coming up want to play the IPL. Youngsters might change their technique and prepare themselves for white-ball cricket. Players who are in the mould of (Cheteshwar) Pujara or (Ajinkya) Rahane are at a loss. The longer-format specialists will definitely suffer,” said Bhaskar.

Bhaskar and Pandit agreed that BCCI had to put the tournament on hold considering the exponential spike in infections. But they are also in favour of it being squeezed in at some stage this season, even if the break between matches is limited to a day or two as opposed to the three that were allotted in the 67-day Ranji schedule.

Also read: 'Dear red ball, please give me one more chance...'

“Even if there is a very short window, the players definitely want the Ranji to go ahead. We want to play,” said Easwaran.

There are also financial considerations. In September, the BCCI announced 50% compensation for the cancelled 2020/21 Ranji season, but it isn’t the same as what players make in a full season of first-class cricket.

“50% compensation was a good step, but let’s hope we have the tournament this season. If there is some cricket, whatever money we get will still be more than if there is no Ranji,” said Easwaran.

Pandit suggested an interesting alternative in case the Ranji campaign was not held in the coming weeks. While it is established that the window for the IPL in April and May cannot be tinkered with, Pandit mooted the months of June to August as a possible window for the Ranji Trophy.

“The tournament can be conducted down south during those months. There is unlikely to be much rain in places like Chennai and Bangalore. It is generally the off-season for cricket in India, but that is one possible window. That would be my suggestion,” he said.