RANJI ROUND-UP
Follow UsNotable Results from the week
Tamil Nadu 367 beat Saurashtra 94 and 203 by an innings and 70 runs
Baroda 290 & 185 beat Mumbai 177 & 214 by 84 runs
Kerala 179 & 158/2 beat Punjab 142 & 194 by 8 wickets
What made news this week
Defending champions Mumbai lose against Baroda
The biggest result of the first week’s Ranji Trophy action was Mumbai’s painful and shocking loss at the hands of Baroda. A rematch of last year’s quarter-finals, Bhargav Bhatt, a yesteryear Kings XI Punjab player, starred with figures of 9/108 across the two innings to leave defending champions shell-shocked.
Abhimanyu Easwaran to Australia?
How can you ignore Abhimanyu in the form he is in? Despite being ignored multiple times in the past, the 29-year-old Bengal batter started yet another Ranji season with a century. In just this calendar year, Easwaran has amassed 1026 runs in 16 innings, averaging 78.92. Will BCCI continue to ignore him?
Top performers of the week
Bhargav Bhatt - 9/108 vs Mumbai
You might have forgotten his existence, but Bhargav Bhatt continues to put up an amazing display with the ball. Since last year, he has been the only left-arm spinner apart from Sai Kishore to pick up 50 domestic wickets. He picked up nine wickets against Mumbai, including removing both Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer in both the innings.
Shubham Khajuriya - 255 vs Maharashtra
Shubham Khajuria scripted history with his knock of 255 against Maharashtra in Srinagar. The opening batter registered the highest score for a batter from Jammu & Kashmir. he scored 255 off 353 runs, which included as many as 29 fours and eight sixes, breaking Ashwani Gupta’s 210 vs HP (back in 1995). Keep an eye on the batter.
Jayant Yadav - 7/74 & 55 vs Bihar
Albeit against Bihar, Jayant Yadav showed that his skills are still good enough, with figures of 7/74, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings. But what was more valuable was his batting contribution, scoring 55, walking in at No.9, to help them get past the 250-run mark, which was enough for an innings win in the end.
Tanush Kotian - 9/122 & 2 vs Baroda
While he might have absolutely tanked with the bat, Tanush Kotian’s skills with the ball are on a very high pedestal. The Mumbai off-spinner picked up figures of 4/61 and 5/61 in the two innings against Baroda, getting the ball to massively turn off the pitch. Given that Ashwin is in the twilight of his career, Kotian might be earmarked to be his long-term successor.
Other notable showings
KC Cariappa - 12/145 vs Sikkim
Sudip Chatterjee - 116 & 93 vs Uttar Pradesh
Ankit Kalsi - 205 vs Uttarakhand
Aditya Sarvate - 9/105 vs Punjab
India watch
Abhimanyu Easwaran - 5 & 127 vs Uttar Pradesh
There’s a reason why Easwaran is in the Indian watch. He’s perhaps the in-form opener in domestic cricket and has amassed four tons in his last six innings. His last six scores read: 127*, 5, 191, 19, 116, 157*.
Given his form, there’s no reason why India can’t pick him.
Jaydev Unadkat - 6/61 vs Tamil Nadu
While some might say that this train has passed the station, Jaydev Unadkat’s consistency is something to desire. The left-arm seamer started yet another Ranji season with a six-fer, coming against a strong TN batting unit. Does India need a left-arm pacer for BGT? If Unadkat keeps up the good show, he might be in the mix.
Ruturaj Gaikwad - 86 vs Jammu & Kashmir
With Gaikwad being Maharashtra’s skipper, there was extra pressure on him to perform, and the right-hander didn’t quite disappoint with a counter-attacking 130-ball 86 against J&K, where he smashed 13 boundaries. However, the big twist in his knock was that he came out to bat at No.4.
Shreyas Iyer - 0 & 30 vs Baroda
One of Mumbai’s big disappointments of the week was Shreyas Iyer’s batting. The right-hander, who definitely has a point to prove to the selectors, failed miserably in the outing against Baroda, finishing with scores of 0 and 30 across two innings. What makes it worse is that he got out twice to spin, an area where he is generally considered to be ‘strong’.
Ishan Kishan - 21 & 16 vs Assam
Despite getting the opportunity to open in the second innings, Ishan Kishan couldn’t use the opportunity to conjure up a big score, falling early for a 12-ball 16 in pursuit of 175. Even in the first innings, the left-hander, after biding time, didn’t really convert the start into a statement score, finishing with a 32-ball 21.
Shardul Thakur - 35 & 3/61 vs Baroda
Considering the situation with Mohammed Shami now, Shardul Thakur could have easily used the clash against Baroda to show his prowess. However, the all-rounder didn’t perform well with the ball, with figures of 3/61, and could only score 35 runs in the match. Maybe the selectors will still keep an eye on him, considering the dearth of pace-bowling all-rounders.
Youngsters who shone
Atharva Taide - 135 vs Andhra Pradesh
He’s still 24 and serving a reminder of his talent to everyone. The left-handed batter, who could well be at the IPL 2025 mega auction later this year, scored a second-innings 118 against Andhra Pradesh, laced with 15 fours and two sixes. He was the only batter in the entire clash to score a century, which shows his talent.
Gurjapneet Singh - 6/68 vs Saurashtra
Tamil Nadu don’t have quality pacers? Well, Gurjapneet Singh just proved em’ all wrong with a stellar show in the first round against Saurashtra. The left-arm seamer, who went wicketless in the first dig, picked up six wickets for just 22 runs, including a stunning delivery that jagged back to remove Cheteshwar Pujara.
Nikin Jose - 99 & 1/26 vs Madhya Pradesh
Another exciting talent from Karnataka, Nikin Jose, was the only batter to show any discipline against MP. With regular wickets falling at the other, Jose, who opened the innings, struck eight fours and four sixes in his 216-ball 99. He even showed his worth with the ball, picking up a wicket in the first innings.
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