The decision seemingly miffed Raina who severely criticised the association, and especially the CEO Deepak Sharma.
“I’m happy with the way we played and took the first innings lead. Especially, after yesterday, when it rained, and we had only half an hour (of play possible). This (three points) is very important for us. We feel, had we played yesterday, things could’ve been different,” he said.
“Whatever happened, for the lack of facilities or the lack of initiative by the UPCA CEO, he (Deepak Sharma) has to take the initiative and give us a proper channel. You can’t just say something and expect something. They have to be very professional from their side as well. We’re here to play Duleep Trophy, and Duleep Trophy has been a very important tournament for so many years. It’s important to take this seriously. We didn’t have a proper game, that was the sad part,” he added.
Raina further praised the umpires and the groundsmen for working relentlessly but launched a scathing attack towards the CEO once again.
“We could have won outright,” Raina added. “We could have sat nicely with six points. We bowled really well; we got five wickets (in the second innings). (Yesterday) They said there was an issue with the cover and didn’t take the responsibility. That guy (Deepak) came late. Till then, I spoke to few of the groundsmen; they worked really hard. Credit goes to the umpires for trying to make some game possible. It’s something that he (Deepak) has to take seriously. Otherwise, there’s no point hosting.”
There was no crowd for the final day of the game after the fans left the stadium on Friday following the five-hour wait. Speaking about it, Raina said:
“You have to talk to him. As the CEO of UP cricket, it is his responsibility. Because as a player, you want to play and entertain the crowd. They are also coming here to see the game. They waited back for 4-5 hours. It’s sad to see that.”
Raina also expressed his apprehensions over the status of Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium. The southpaw felt if the association makes these mistakes, the ground will lose its status of hosting Tests.
“We held games in Noida. There was a game in Lucknow as well. Kanpur is the oldest Test ground (in Uttar Pradesh). You can’t make such mistakes and lose the charm of Test cricket here. So many UP guys have played on this ground. I have got so much from here. But if you make such mistakes, it could all be gone.”