Ever since the BCCI made it mandatory for its cricketers to participate in domestic cricket, the Ranji Trophy has regained some of its lost star power. Last season saw Virat Kohli turn out for Delhi in whites for the first time in 13 years, while Rohit Sharma also played a game for Mumbai after nearly a decade.
Similarly, this season too, the Ranji Trophy kicked off with several big names in action. India regulars KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja returned to their roots and played for their respective teams. With the first round now concluded, here’s a quick recap of how some of India’s biggest names fared.
KL Rahul
Rahul enjoyed quite the season last year for Karnataka, plundering 470 runs in four matches. However, this time around, his start was more a whimper than a bang. The opener was dismissed cheaply in both innings, scoring 4 and 1 against Andhra Pradesh. It was a rare failure for India’s top-order batter, who came into the tournament on the back of an ODI century against West Indies.
Rahul’s decision to turn out for Karnataka could have stemmed from a need to get some red-ball practice ahead of the challenging tour of New Zealand, where windy conditions and a swinging ball are likely to test him. He will next be in action in the three red-ball matches beginning October 24 in Lincoln, ahead of the two-Test series.
Ravindra Jadeja
Having last batted in a match on August 23, Jadeja linked up with the Saurashtra team after not getting an opportunity to bat in the two ODIs against West Indies. When he finally got his chance, the all-rounder made it count, scoring 102 – his 16th First-Class century. Jadeja may have come a long way since his exploits in 2011-12, when he smashed three triple-centuries, but the hunger remains intact.
Jadeja had a relatively quiet series in Sri Lanka, scoring 43, 13 and 9 while picking up eight wickets. With him expected to feature in the playing XI when the New Zealand Tests begin on November 19, a hundred promises to offer just the confidence boost he would have hoped for.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
India opener Jaiswal has been in the news for practising wicketkeeping ahead of the start of the season, with the development attracting even more attention after he endured a 13-ball duck against Chandigarh, even as Mumbai cruised to an innings victory.
These are interesting times for Jaiswal. Despite scoring two centuries in his last three ODIs, he has found himself benched in the format, while his outings against Sri Lanka in August were not particularly encouraging either – 0, 32 and 45. For someone widely regarded as one of the brightest prospects in Indian batting, the last few months haven’t exactly been hunky dory for Jaiswal. However, one thing is certain: Jaiswal will feature in India’s playing XI in New Zealand, marking his first tour of the country with the national team, and reproducing the form he showed in England last year could go a long way towards giving India a strong start in the series.
Mohammed Siraj
Pacer Mohammed Siraj finds himself in a period of uncertainty. He is no longer a guaranteed starter for India in ODIs, while workload management in Tests makes it difficult to predict how much and how often he will feature in the format. Turning out for Hyderabad, captain Siraj bowled 18 overs – nine in each innings – as his side ran through Tripura’s batting. After going wicketless in the first innings, he returned figures of 2/19 in the second. Overall, Siraj had a decent outing, but a few more overs in the lead-up to the New Zealand Tests could help him build rhythm and confidence.
Mohammed Shami
Hasn’t played for India in over a year, but Mohammed Shami continues to make some noise. At Kalyani, as Bengal handed Delhi a comprehensive defeat, Shami was at it again, returning figures of 4/30 in the first innings to help bowl the opposition out for 240. Bengal then raced ahead to establish a 229-run lead that proved crucial. Shami was impressive in the second innings too, taking 1/29 in 18 overs.
Whether Shami gets another India call-up remains uncertain. But irrespective of what the selectors have in mind, the pacer’s latest performance has once again left fans asking the same question: what more does he need to do?