Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has sounded a stark warning, calling for urgent intervention in domestic cricket as batters' dominance reaches alarming levels in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. The tournament has been a run-fest, with massive totals and record chases making bowlers mere spectators, prompting Kaif to question the system's balance.
Mountains of Runs and Record-Breaking Feats
The 2025-26 edition of India's premier domestic one-day competition has been defined by extraordinary batting performances. The carnage began on the opening day itself when Bihar smashed a world-record 574 runs against Arunachal Pradesh, powered by a blistering century from teenage prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
However, that was just the beginning. The trend of mammoth scores has continued unabated. In a stunning display, Karnataka successfully chased down a target of 412 runs set by Jharkhand, proving that even a 400-plus total is no longer safe. Individual batters are piling on centuries, with players like Devdutt Padikkal already registering three tons, and Aryan Juyal and Dhruv Shorey scoring two each.
Kaif's Urgent Warning on Social Media
Alarmed by the one-sided nature of contests, Mohammad Kaif took to social media platform X to voice his deep concerns. His post highlighted the worrying signs emerging from the tournament.
"Worrying signs from Vijay Hazare," Kaif wrote. "350 runs target not safe, quickfire 100 in every other game, bowlers making no impact. Has run-making become easy? Are we just producing batsmen? Domestic cricket needs urgent attention."
His pointed question – "Are we just producing batsmen?" – cuts to the heart of a growing fear that the Indian domestic structure is becoming excessively skewed towards batting, potentially at the cost of developing world-class bowlers.
A Broader Pattern of Imbalance
This batting dominance is not an isolated phenomenon in Indian domestic cricket. The issue reflects a deeper, systemic imbalance. Last year, in a T20 match in Indore, Baroda set a monumental target of 350 runs against Sikkim and won by a staggering margin of 263 runs, etching the highest-ever T20 total across more than 16,000 recorded matches.
Furthermore, the red-ball format is not immune. In November, during a Ranji Trophy Plate Group match in Surat, Meghalaya's Akash Kumar Choudhary achieved a never-before-seen feat in 250 years of recognised first-class cricket by hitting eight consecutive sixes against Arunachal Pradesh.
This pattern of lopsided contests has drawn criticism from other veterans as well. After Bihar's 574-run onslaught, spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin questioned the impact of such mismatches on the development of weaker teams. While applauding Vaibhav Suryavanshi's effort, Ashwin asked on his YouTube channel what such heavy defeats do for the confidence and growth of sides like Arunachal Pradesh, highlighting the "huge divide" in quality.
The consistent theme from experts is clear: the current state of affairs, where bowlers are rendered ineffective and matches lack competitive tension, is unsustainable. Kaif's urgent plea underscores a critical need for the Indian cricket establishment to scrutinize pitch conditions, tournament structure, and talent development to restore balance between bat and ball before the pipeline for quality bowlers dries up completely.
