Record Book – The highest scores on first-class debut

The fifth round of the ongoing Ranji Trophy saw Madhya Pradesh’s Ajay Rohera achieve a remarkable feat at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, as his unbeaten 267 against Hyderabad entered the record books as the highest individual score on first-class debut. The 21-year-old surpassed the previous record held by Amol Muzumdar, who had […]

IN FOCUS – Ranji Trophy 2013-14 Preview

The 80th edition of India’s premier domestic tournament commences today with the first round being played at various venues across the country. There will be quite a few prospects for the selectors to watch out for as India are slated to play six Tests in the coming months, four of them overseas. News and […]

REVIEW – Mumbai’s 40th title, Agarkar’s personal triumph

Just last season, Ajit Agarkar had pulled out of the Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad citing differences with the team management following his exclusion from a particular match. Later he was surprisingly picked as captain, and he repaid the team’s faith in his experience by leading Mumbai to a 40th Ranji Trophy title this season. […]

IN FOCUS – 2012-13 Ranji Trophy final : Preview

After a gruelling two and a half-months of back-to-back matches, the time has come for the summit clash of this season’s Ranji Trophy. The two finalists are Mumbai and Saurashtra, two teams which did not really look like potential finalists during the league phase, but they both have managed to up their game when it […]

IN FOCUS – 2012-13 Ranji Trophy semifinals : Preview

In my Ranji Trophy Preview post of November, I had predicted the following quarterfinal line-up – Rajasthan, Mumbai Punjab, Delhi, Baroda, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. While Punjab and Uttar Pradesh won resoundingly in the league stage, Mumbai and Baroda had to struggle a bit to make the grade. I clearly underestimated the […]

IN FOCUS – All hail Chatterjee and his warriors

Sometimes, quite out of the blue you get to hear about extraordinary feats by lesser-known cricketers – performances which hardly challenge the record-books, yet are so heroic that it makes any admirer of the game feel pleased. Such moments remind you about cricket’s greatness and the will power of a cricketer. Services’ astonishing […]

SPECIALS – Tribute to the unsung record-holder

Former Ranji Trophy cricketer Bhausaheb Nimbalkar passed away on December 11 at the age of 92 – a day before what would have been his 93rd birthday. His career spanned a long period between 1939 and 1965, but he could never make it to the Indian team, as his best years coincided with the […]

IN FOCUS – Ranji Trophy 2012-13 preview

The 79th edition of the Ranji Trophy is set to commence on 2nd November with the first round of matches. Rajasthan are the holders, having won the last two titles convincingly when few expected them to. This season holds great importance for Indian cricket, as the Test team is undergoing a transition phase following […]

Who Would Have Thought It – Hemulal Yadav’s bizarre dismissal

Let us look back to a strange incident that took place on the final day of the East Zone match between hosts Orissa and Tripura, played from December 17-20, 1997 at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack in the Ranji Trophy’s 64th edition. Few expected anything out of the ordinary when Orissa, definitely the stronger team, declared […]