‘Not a contest at all’: R Ashwin reacts to Bihar scoring 574 runs in Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Arunachal Pradesh

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the quality of some of the country’s domestic teams, adding that while it was impressive to see the likes of Vaibhav Suryavanshi make big scores, it could negatively impact the confidence of the opposition.

The 39-year-old said that there was a big gulf between some of the teams in first-class cricket, which was leading to no contests between teams.

“Huge applause for Vaibhav Suryavanshi. But I again want to ask a question. There is a huge divide, chalk and cheese, in terms of quality with some teams. It becomes very lop-sided with some teams and there is no contest at all. It is not an ideal contest. Credit to Vaibhav for his performance. He is doing what he has to do. But if we are serious about teams like Arunachal Pradesh becoming good sides, what will this do to their confidence?,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

The comments came after Bihar racked up 574 runs in 50 overs in their Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday, with centuries from Suryavanshi, Ayush Loharuka and captain Sakibul Gani, thereby breaking the record for the highest score made in men’s List A cricket.

Ashwin also praised wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan for his performance against Karnataka on Wednesday, stating that the hard work put in was bearing fruit.

“Everyone goes through good and bad times but Ishan Kishan had a challenging time. He came and then was out from the team, he took a break. He made a double hundred in one-day but never made a comeback. He scored a hundred in the IPL but then did not have a great IPL. He played well in the SMAT and in the run of events got into the T20 World Cup squad. Now he is batting in the middle-order slot in the VHT and scored a 33-ball hundred. It shows what confidence and form can do to a person when time aligns. He has not waited saying his time will come, he has put in that effort,” he said.

Kishan was picked as the second wicketkeeper in India’s T20 World Cup squad on Saturday, after he made 517 runs in 10 innings in the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign and helped Jharkhand win the title.