(Playing with the reigning Ranji champions Rajasthan, Aakash Chopra will share his experiences on the circuit in a series of posts, exclusively on Yahoo! Cricket. This post is the third in the series.)

 
What's the sole purpose of having the Challenger Trophy? I'm assuming that it's to test the skill set as well as the temperament of the best 36 cricketers in the country in trying/challenging conditions. But, since this tournament is held in India, isn't it rather ambitious to expect the conditions to challenge the participants? After all, these grounds/tracks are their workstations throughout the year.

 
Perhaps, playing in front of a packed stadium and a huge TV audience could separate chalk from cheese, for many players suffer from stage fright and react differently to such pressure. Unfortunately, even that can't be achieved with this year's edition of the Challenger Trophy - there's already been a heavy overdose of cricket and with the crowd already giving the Champions League a