Ranji Trophy 2015-16: Shreyas Iyer, Akhil Herwadkar, Ravindra Jadeja, and others who did well in the group stages

The group stage of the ongoing edition of Ranji Trophy 2015-16 ended with some exceptional performances in all departments. Most of the Round 9 matches were either one-sided or nail-biters. While some teams had failed to establish themselves in this domestic tournament in the last couple of years went through to the quarters, courtesy of a specific...

The group stage of the ongoing edition of Ranji Trophy 2015-16 ended with some exceptional performances in all departments. Most of the Round 9 matches were either one-sided or nail-biters. While some teams had failed to establish themselves in this domestic tournament in the last couple of years went through to the quarters, courtesy of a specific names in the respective sides, defending champions Karnataka were knocked out after losing to Maharashtra which was their do-or-die match. While Sudip Chatterjee stood out for Bengal in the batting department, the likes of Pragyan Ojha and Ashok Dinda brought in their experience with the ball. Meanwhile, for Assam the pick of the lot is undoubtedly Krishna Das, who bagged 44 wickets in 8 games. Here are 10 players who caught the eyes in the Group stages of Ranji Trophy 2015-16. READ: Vijay Hazare Trophy 2015-16: 10 players to watch out for

K Monish:

Monish’s 49 wickets in 8 matches were not good enough to take his side to the quarter-final of Ranji Trophy 2015-16. The 25-year-old spinner made his debut for Kerala in the previous edition of Ranji Trophy; this time he finished as the highest wicket-taker in the group stages. It is not wrong to assume that he would have continue to shine in the domestic league had his team progressed to the next round. All he lacked in the group stages was support from his teammates. There were just three batsmen who scored runs regularly — Sachin Baby, Rohan Prem and VA Jagadeesh; for Kerala, nobody had more than 28 scalps to his name. However, with just 13 First-Class games under his belt, Monish has a long way ahead of him.

Shreyas Iyer:

Iyer has been one player who made to the news every single time he came in to bat. And not once was he found to struggle with the bat. 930 runs in 8 matches at an average of 71.53 and a ridiculous strike-rate of 95.48 speak volumes about his talent; if Mumbai, after topping Group B, go on to win the Ranji Trophy for a 41st time, this 21-year-old will surely be one of the major reasons behind it. While he had almost neared a strike-rate of 100, the next best is not even 80. Iyer made his debut for Mumbai last year, and had finished as their highest run-scorer in that edition. However he is batting on a very different level this time, which is great news for Mumbai. READ: 5 cricketers who excelled in Ranji Trophy but failed in international cricket

Robin Uthappa:

Uthappa’s 759 runs in 8 matches went in vain as Karnataka, who won the Ranji Trophy in the last two seasons, following their defeat against Maharashtra in Round 9. The match also ended Karnataka’s streak of 37 consecutive First-Class matches without a defeat. Chasing 293 runs in the final innings, Karnataka had begun Day Four with 8 wickets in hand with Uthappa at crease. While wickets fell around him, he was determined to take Karnataka on the other end successfully. However, his fight ended in the 46th over when Maharashtra’s Anupam Sanklecha trapped him leg before wicket. He had faced 108 deliveries scoring 61 runs before ending Karnataka’s hopes at 146 for 6.

Ravindra Jadeja:

Jadeja played just 4 matches for Saurashtra in the group stages  but made sure he made his presence felt in that small span of time. He later went on to partner Ravichandran Ashwin in a resounding 3-0 win over South Africa in the 4-Test series. But before that, he had bagged 38 wickets in the 4 Ranji Trophy matches he had played with the best figures of 7 for 55, against Jharkhand. Saurashtra had won that match by 8 wickets with Jadeja being declared Player of the Match. The 4 victories are definitely the major reasons for Saurashtra finishing as Group C’s table topper with 5 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws. They will definitely hope Jadeja can play the quarter-final in February.

Akhil Herwadkar:

Along with Shreyas, Mumbai has found another promising talent in Akhil Herwadkar. The 21-year-old Mumbai opener had managed to give excellent starts to his side in most of the matches and has finished the group stages with 741 runs in 8 matches with 2 hundreds and 4 fifties. An average of 57 for a player as young as Herwadkar definitely indicates that Mumbai has successfully found another fantastic cricketer in the making. If these youngsters continue to perform for Mumbai, the absence of big names like Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane, due to their national duties, will not be felt.

Krishna Das:

Assam began their campaign with a solid draw against the defending champions Karnataka and the first innings lead in that match had earned them a crucial 3 points. Das had managed just one wicket in that game. But that was just the beginning of the ruthless bowling he was going to do in the upcoming matches. At one point of time, Das, who finished the group stage with 44 wickets to his name, had a 4-wicket haul in every match. He has been easily Assam’s trump-card, bagging 10 wickets in a match twice in the group stage —against Rajasthan and Haryana. Assam’s fairytale run in this edition of Ranji Trophy, with the quarter-final coming up next, mainly depends on Das’ form.

Jalaj Saxena:

Saxena has played 81 First-Class matches and has 191 wickets to show against his name. He has easily been one of Madhya Pradesh’s stars in recent times. Madhya Pradesh, who narrowly edged Gujarat to make it to the quarter-final in Ranji Trophy 2015-16, owes a lot to Saxena. It is because of his all-round performance that Madhya Pradesh have managed to progress further in the domestic tournament. While he was the third highest wicket-taker in the group stage with 46 scalps in 8 matches, he even top-scored for his state with 530 runs that included a hundred and 3 fifties. Their campaign will depend a lot on Jalaj’s performance in the knock-out matches.

Ian Dev Singh Chauhan:

Although Jammu and Kashmir failed to register a single victory in their 8 games, Ian Dev Singh grabbed eyeballs with his excellent show with the bat. He finished second behind Shreyas with 773 runs in 8 matches that included 3 centuries and 2 fifties. Ian Dev Singh was not this effective in the limited-overs formats, but will eye to deliver in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2015-16. He averages below 30 in List-A cricket.

Pragyan Ojha:

Ojha has been in and out of the Indian team in the recent times. He last played an international match two years back. However, he seems to be gaining the attention of the selectors with a superb job for Bengal — 33 wickets in 8 matches with a best of 7 for 58. Bengal finished second in Group A behind Vidarbha, and will look to continue progress in the this season’s Ranji Trophy, provided Ojha, along with the likes of Ashok Dinda and Aamir Gani continue to perform with the ball. Ojha’s best spell so far in the tournament was against Vidarbha where he had claimed a total of 11 wickets. Meanwhile, Dinda’s 4 wickets in 2 overs against Assam in the last game of the group stage showed that these bowlers who have been forgotten on the international level still have a chance to make it back there.

Arun Karthick:

Everybody remembers Karthick for his six off the last ball that made him an overnight hero for Royal Challengers Bangalore in an IPL match. He has been continuing the same role of being the saviour of Assam with the bat. He is the only batsman from Assam to feature in the top 10 of the highest run-scorers of the group stage. 723 runs in 8 matches at above 55 with 3 tons and 2 fifties do indicate his pedigree. He has to carry the same momentum in the quarter-final to ensure Assam continue to surprise the bigger names.

(Sakshi Gupta, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a sports fanatic whose mantra in life is “do only what you enjoy.” Her Twitter handle is @sakshi2929)