No point playing on doctored wickets: Harbhajan

Harbhajan Singh, the Indian off-spinner, who mooted the concept of playing Ranji Trophy on neutral wickets, is backing it to the hilt. The 103-Test veteran, in fact, has given a series of suggestions to the Board of Control for Cricket in India to improve domestic cricket.
"Earlier, I was only playing international cricket, and had little idea about the issues in domestic cricket. However, the experience of doing so for the last four-five years has given me a fair idea of what needs to be done to improve it," Harbhajan told TOI from Jalandhar, before adding: "I've given my suggestions in this regard to the concerned people in the Board. I won't be able to attend the conclave due to personal commitments (he's about to become a father), but my views will be put forth by our representative," said the 35-year-old, who leads Punjab in the Ranji Trophy.
The point of neutral venues for the Ranji Trophy is what Harbhajan stressed most about. The idea, ironically, crossed his mind after he took ten wickets in a game to spin out Tamil Nadu on a rank turner at Dindigul.
"It was perhaps the best venue that I've played in domestic cricket. There were around five to six thousand people who turned up to watch that match, and the ground was beautiful, lush green. However, when I saw the wicket before the match, I realised that it was unfit for a first-class game. Any batsman could've been hurt on that. The match finished before lunch on the second day. I didn't enjoy taking wickets in that match at all," he recalled.
"It's a real concern. The game shouldn't be about ordinary spinners or bowlers taking wickets. It should be about skill, fighting till the end. Domestic cricket has to be about producing champion players, who can do well in any conditions. Let's make fair wickets which give a chance to everyone. For this reason, I feel that we can have a system where players from the South play in the North Zone, or say a Punjab team plays at various grounds in Gujarat. There's no point in playing on doctored wickets."
Won't neutral venues kill local interest in the tournament? "Is that more important or is it fine to produce bowlers who'll struggle to take wickets abroad, or batsmen who don't know how to construct an innings, because they simply haven't batted that long," he shot back.
Harbhajan also wants the Board to switch from SG balls to the Duke in domestic cricket. "The SG balls go out of shape pretty early, and you've to change it frequently. The Duke, as I saw in England, retains its shape and doesn't need to be changed till the new ball is due," he suggested, before revealing his other ideas.
"All the players in a team must wear the same kit, including the helmet. Right now, you see players using their IPL or India helmets, which isn't correct. It is first-class cricket after all. In county cricket, all players wear the same gear, from head to toe, and it makes players feel that they're playing for a side. Lastly, the Board must make it mandatory that every domestic team will have a qualified trainer and a physio," he concluded.