New Delhi, Feb 17 (IANS): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah said on Thursday that a lot of effort has been made behind the scenes to get domestic cricket back on track.

Ranji Trophy, the backbone of India's domestic cricket scene, started on Thursday after an absence of a season due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Have been eagerly waiting for this day as India Cricket's premier domestic tournament, the #RanjiTrophy returns. A lot of effort has gone behind the scenes to get our first-class cricket back on track, and it is now time to let red-ball take centre stage. Good luck, everyone," Jay Shah tweeted.

The Ranji teams have been divided into eight elite groups and one plate group and will be staying in the bio-secure environment (bio-bubbles). Senior Test batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are in focus.

However, attention will also be centred on other international players like Hanuma Vihari (Hyderabad), Navdeep Saini (Delhi), Mayank Agarwal (Karnataka), Prithvi Shaw (Mumbai), Jaydev Unadkat (Saurashtra), Jayant Yadav (Haryana) and Umesh Yadav (Vidarbha).