India, Feb. 1 -- A huge controversy erupted in the Ranji Trophy on Saturday morning after the visitors Jammu and Kashmir lodged an official complaint with the match referee, alleging that Baroda resorted to pitch tampering before the start of playing on Day 3 at the Reliance Cricket Ground in Vadodara, Gujarat.

The chain of events unfolded before the start of the play. The proceedings were delayed after Jammu and Kashmir coach Ajay Sharma felt that the colour of the pitch changed, with his inference being that the 22 yards were tampered with.

The coach then discussed the matter with the on-field umpires, Pashchim Pathak and Ravi Teja, and the match referee, Arjan Kripal Singh. The proceedings were halted for almost 1.5 hours, and the pl...