The Ranji Trophy, instead of adorning the showcase of newly-crowned champions Railways, is still locked in the glass cupboard at the Board of Control for Cricket in India's headquarters in Mumbai.
Railways won the Ranji championship in 2004-05 but were denied the right to keep the gigantic silver trophy that accompanies the triumph.
The Ranji Trophy is a rolling trophy that rests with the winning team for ten to eleven months.
The matter was discussed during the captains and coaches meet in Mumbai on Monday, and BCCI secretary S K Nair promised to look into the matter.
"We spoke to the BCCI about this," said Railways coach Vinod Sharma on Monday. "They told us that the trophy is very expensive and do not want to part with it. I don't know what the problem is. They let us keep the trophy when we won in 2002."
A BCCI source clarified that five years ago it was decided not to let the teams keep the trophy because earlier some teams had damaged it.
"The trophy is very old and heavy. Last time we let Railways keep the trophy because the final was in Delhi, on their home ground. This time it was in Punjab and no one was ready to take the responsibility of transporting it to Delhi and back to Mumbai," said the source.
Railways were the dark horses this season, even facing the prospect of relegation after the first four rounds. But the team stuck to the task and once in the semi-final turned on a dominating performance.
"I think we have earned the trophy. Only we know what the circumstances were under which we achieved that. There are a lot of emotions attached to the trophy," said Sharma.
He added that Nair assured that the Board would consider giving the trophy on condition that the team looks after and return it whenever the BCCI demands it.
Indeed, the silverware would mean a lot to the players, most of who come from humble backgrounds, since they have little to play for.
Railways is the only team that does not have a stadium of its own. Their home ground, the Karnail Singh stadium in New Delhi, is a multipurpose sports complex and does not have a curator.
"It is the coach or the captain who rolls the pitch at the ground. And we take great pride in that," said Sharma.
The coach, who has been with the team since 1984, was asked to prepare six practice pitches because the Railways Sports Control Board couldn't afford professional assistance.
"I supervised the preparation of pitches and got them done for Rs.10,000. There are malis [groundsmen] to look after the outfield but preparation of the wicket is a little scientific. So we have to see how it is watered; if there is no help we do it ourselves."
The team has asked for an independent cricket stadium from the BCCI. Railways and Services are the only two teams that do not get subsidy from the BCCI for development of infrastructure.
There are no fancy clubhouses for the players to retire into after a tough day's play. They make do with a dormitory at the Karnail Singh and train with obsolete gym facilities.
As they are employed by the Railways, the team also cannot have sponsors and the coach is not given separate remuneration for training with the team.
While the Punjab Cricket Association has announced a bonus of Rs.15 lakh to Intikhab Alam, their Pakistani coach, for taking the team to the final, the coach of the Ranji champions is still struggling to get a certificate of excellence from the BCCI.
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