Reputations were reinforced and legacies revived as the group stage of the Ranji Trophy Elite division wound to a close after over a month-and-a-half of action.
Under the full-time leadership of left-arm spinner R. Sai Kishore, Tamil Nadu witnessed a turnaround in its red-ball cricket fortunes when it booked its first quarterfinal berth since the 2016-17 season. The wait for five-time champion Baroda was even longer as it snapped a nine-season-long absence in the knockouts phase of the tournament.
Vidarbha topped Group A to qualify for the last-eight stage for the first time since its victorious season in 2018-19, while Mumbai was back to asserting its dominance after a rare blip in 2022-23.
Meanwhile, it was business as usual for Saurashtra, which rode on stalwart Cheteshwar Pujara’s 781 runs in 11 innings, even as skipper Jaydev Unadkat had an underwhelming season with the ball, to continue its quest for a third title in four seasons.
In a hat tip to the defending champion’s aura of invincibility, traditional heavyweight Karnataka seemed to settle for a draw on the final day of its last league game against Chandigarh to avoid meeting Saurashtra in the quarterfinal, instead preferring to face Vidarbha.
Left is right: Left-arm spinners Sai Kishore and S. Ajith Ram (in pic) were also key architects of TN’s uptick in First-Class cricket, with the duo picking up 76 wickets between them. | Photo Credit: E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN
On the other hand, had Services’ push for an innings-victory against Maharashtra on the final day of the league stage been successful, it would have pipped Saurashtra to the second spot in Group A.
Madhya Pradesh (MP) — the only unbeaten side in the league stage — and Andhra, a consistent but less fancied side, booked a quarterfinal clash, in a repeat of last year’s fixture.
MP enjoyed a straightforward entry into the quarterfinals from Group D, with both departments clicking in unison for the 2021-22 champion. Its journey was in sharp contrast to Karnataka’s brinksmanship. Mayank Agarwal’s side tempted fate repeatedly, be it the 29-run escape against Tripura or the one-wicket win against Railways.
These two close shaves were sandwiched between one of the most dramatic batting collapses and an edge-of-the-seat blockbuster. Chasing 110 against Gujarat, Karnataka succumbed to a six-run defeat after a 50-run opening stand between Agarwal and Devdutt Padikkal seemed to put the contest to bed. Then, in the Southern Derby against Tamil Nadu, it came perilously close to conceding a 355-run target after Baba Indrajith and Vijay Shankar joined forces for a 125-run alliance for the sixth wicket to pull off a run-chase for the ages. Eventually, salvaging three points for the first-innings lead was as close as Karnataka came to breathing easy.
That game, however, was Padikkal’s ticket to a maiden Test call-up as the left-hander was drafted in the squad for India’s third Test against England following his 151 in the first innings. Padikkal’s breakout First-Class season saw him hitting 556 runs in six innings at an average of 92.66, including three hundreds.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu’s Indrajith continued to make a strong case for higher honours even as he is handed a raw deal by selectors time and again. He notched up another 600-run season — his sixth in 10 seasons — and emerged as TN’s crisis man. His omission from the 2023-24 South Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy and that an India A cap still eludes him add intrigue to Indrajith’s non-selection.
Left-arm spinners Sai Kishore and S. Ajith Ram were also key architects of TN’s uptick in First-Class cricket, with the duo picking up 76 wickets between them. Opener N. Jagadeesan struck form with back-to-back scores of 245* and 321, helping his side obliterate Railways and Chandigarh with innings-victories.
Running out of time: The long-time mainstays of India’s middle-order, Pujara and Rahane, who last featured together in India’s defeat to Australia in the World Test Championship final in June last year, seem to have run out of rope. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
While the youngsters made their performances speak, the veterans couldn’t capture the attention of selectors. Despite a spate of injuries in India’s squad for the ongoing Tests against England, Pujara’s three hundreds, two fifties, and an average of 78.1 weren’t enough to earn a recall. Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane didn’t help his case with just 112 runs in five matches at a dismal 16 runs per dismissal.
The long-time mainstays of India’s middle-order, Pujara and Rahane, who last featured together in India’s defeat to Australia in the World Test Championship final in June last year, seem to have run out of rope. With young talent coming into its own in the England series, a smooth transition is underway, and perhaps the need of the hour.
But the closing stages of the league stage also coincided with a stern warning for the youngsters from BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who urged centrally contracted players to back their aspirations of representing India with regular appearances on the domestic circuit.
Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Chahar have reportedly also incurred the wrath of the administration in the wake of this decree. Though Iyer was unavailable for Mumbai’s final league game against Assam, reportedly due to a back issue, Shardul Thakur marked his presence with a 10-wicket haul in his side’s innings victory.
Though reiterating the importance of performances on the domestic circuit is a welcome move, the BCCI will also have to do its part in trying to prioritise the Ranji Trophy. With the premier domestic tournament coinciding with the onset of winter in the northern part of the country, 24 out of the 44 matches that ended in a draw in the group stage were largely due to adverse weather. Additonally, 13 out of those 24 games lost at least an entire day’s play. Returning to the October-November window could be the way ahead, though the IPL auction, typically held in December, warrants the white-ball legs to be scheduled during that period.
Also in focus was Ranji Trophy’s Plate division, in which Hyderabad steamrolled its opponents, claiming six back-to-back innings victories before beating Meghalaya by five wickets in the final.
High impact: Mumbai’s Shardul Thakur marked his presence with a 10-wicket haul against Assam. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
Tanmay Agarwal’s record fastest triple-hundred, off 147 balls, against Arunachal Pradesh, sparked a debate surrounding the First-Class status attributed to Plate games. Hyderabad smashed a whopping 529 runs in 48 overs on the opening day of that game.
While Hyderabad and Meghalaya will be promoted to the Elite division next season, Manipur (0 points) and Goa (4 points) are set to be demoted to Plate.
Though Delhi was staring down the barrel and looked set for relegation, with just one point after three games, it bounced back, amidst administrative issues and a mid-season captaincy switch, with three outright wins in its last four games to salvage some pride.
As the curtains drew on the league stage, an era also ended with the likes of Manoj Tiwary, Saurabh Tiwary, Faiz Fazal, Dhawal Kulkarni and Varun Aaron walking into the sunset. Though their influence on the international stage was limited, their dedication to the game serves as a fitting ode to contemporary domestic cricket — not always rewarding but a noble end in itself, nevertheless.
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