Ranji Trophy highlights: Ishant’s fiery spell, Samson’s rich form and Jaffer’s vintage show

The sixth round of Ranji Trophy action came to an end on Monday. Plenty of runs were scored and there were a number of noteworthy spells from bowlers too. While youngsters like Prithvi Shaw and Sanju Samson stroked fluent tons, veteran Wasim Jaffer was also among the runs. India-bound Ishant Sharma impressed with a fiery spell, while Manish Pandey gave a good account of his class with a fine double ton.

Here are the talking points that emerged from the round.

Ishant’s message to selectors

Pacer Ishant Sharma has been in fine form this Ranji season. In four games for Delhi, the lanky fast bowler has taken 20 wickets. Against Maharashtra, Ishant was at his fiery best intimidating the Maharashtra batsmen with his pace and bounce. His figures of 6-2-14-3 at the Air Force Sports Complex in Delhi in Maharastra’s first innings broke the back of the batting line-up and helped Delhi bowl them out for 99 in reply to their total of 419.

The Maharashtra batsmen could not recover, folding for 259 in their second innings to help Delhi register a win by an innings and 61 runs.

Ishant was released from the India squad playing the ongoing Test series agaisnt Sri Lanka after not making it to the playing XI for the opening game in Kolkata.

With rain in the air, there was help on offer for the fast bowlers and Ishant made most of the conditions.

With Bhuvneshwar Kumar unavailable for the rest of the Sri Lanka series, Ishant is set to play the remaining two Tests. Like in Kolkata, it is expected that the wickets in Nagpur and Delhi would assist the pacers. Ishant will be expected to make the ball talk given the situation. His Ranji outing against Maharashtra will give him a major confidence boost as he rejoins the national team.

Samson’s coming of age

Sanju Samson continued his fine form with a 175-run knock to set up Kerala’s massive 309-run win over Saurashtra. The 23-year-old, who came into the game on back off a fluent 128 against the Board President’s XI that faced the Sri Lankans, was at his aggressive best while turning up for his state team.

Kerala had conceded the first innings lead and needed to push for victory if they were to walk away from the game with more than a point. Coming into bat at number four, Samson took on the Saurashtra bowlers. His 175 came at nearly a run-a-ball and included 16 fours and 8 sixes.

Samson has courted a lot of controversy in the recent past and was struggling to keep his fledgling career on track. Last year, he was suspended by the Kerala Cricket Association for a run in with officials. However, since the dust settled, Samson has found his groove. This season, the ‘keeper-batsman has now scored two consecutive tons.

The knock against Saurashtra underpinned his deadly form as it came at a time when his team needed it the most. The counter-attacking knock turned things around for the Kerala outfit who were chasing the game till then.

After getting a look in for the BP XI, the latest knock should rekindle his hopes for a place in the senior India team.

Manish Pandey strokes double ton

After a string of low scores while playing for the national team, Manish Pandey would have wanted to get back among the runs as he resumed service for his state team Karnataka. Against Uttar Pradesh, Pandey finally found his mojo with a blistering double ton that helped Karnataka post 655 in the first innings.

Pandey who has been in and out of the Indian team, needed this as he looks to leave the competition behind. The flat deck at Kanpur provided a great platform for the 28-year-old. He made most of the opportunity with an attacking knock that included 31 boundaries and two sixes.

Pandey’s effort saw him surpass his previous best score of 218 in first-class cricket.

Old hand Jaffer turns back the clock

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer produced a vintage century as he scored 158 to set up Vidarbha’s innings victory over Goa. After Akshay Wakhare helped restricted Goa to 239, it was up to the Vidarbha batsmen to complement their bowlers and hand them them the advantage. Jaffer anchored Vidarbha’s effort with a knock that lasted 369 balls. His innings included 12 fours and two sixes and saw him stationed at the crease for a total of 500 minutes.

Incidentally, this was also his first ton of the season. It helped Vidarbha declare on 427/3, a total that proved too steep for Goa to surpass in their second essay.

Jaffer a veteran in the Indian domestic circuit, moved to Vidarbha after a long and successful stint with Mumbai. The 39-year-old, who last played for India in 2008, is Vidarbha’s senior most batsman. While he has not exactly been in fine form, the knock came at an opportune time for both him as well as the team. There is still some fight left in the old dog after all.

Vidarbha lead the standings in Group D with four wins and a draw from five matches. The return to form of their senior batsman is a bonus for the team as they head into the knockout stage of the competition.

Prithvi Shaw strokes another ton

Mumbai’s teenage sensation Prithvi Shaw continued his rich vein of form as he smashed his fifth century in seven first-class matches. His latest ton came during his side’s game against Andhra.

The team had gone into the game needing to win in order to prop up their bid to reach the knockouts. Mumbai, though, were pushed onto the back foot after losing three wickets with just 64 on the board. True to form, Shaw stepped up and performed once again with a delightful knock that helped Mumbai to post a competitive total in their first innings.

Even as wickets tumbled at the other end, Shaw did not hold back his natural game and produced his natural aggressive style.

Shaw, who turned 18 this month, has been Mumbai’s leading batsman through the tournament. His effort has kept Mumbai on target despite their senior players coming up short so far. The team could only manage a draw against Andhra, but their hopes of making it to the knockouts are still alive. They need a win in their remaining game against Tripura and will hope for favourable results elsewhere. Shaw will be expected lead the charge with the bat again if Mumbai are to advance.

Leaderboard

We have new entries in the top 3 after the latest round.

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