3 Ranji Trophy 2024-25 stars who India must consider for their next Test series in England ft. Karun Nair

Vidarbha won the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy by beating Kerala in the final owing to their first-innings lead on Sunday, March 2. This is the Nagpur-based side's third Ranji Trophy title, having won it earlier in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.

This victory came as a soothing balm to Vidarbha after they had been cruelly beaten by Mumbai in the 2023-24 final. This time around, however, Kerala could not match up to their level of intensity.

A lot of players put their hands up for India selection by the end of the season, proving their mettle with consistent performances. With India's next Test tour of England slated to be held in the summer, a few can stake their claim to be on the plane.

In this listicle, we take a look at three players whom India can consider for their next Test series.

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#3 Shardul Thakur (Mumbai)

India all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who was discarded from the team not long after he was mostly left unused in the 2023 ODI World Cup, made a statement in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy with his stellar performances with bat and ball. Thakur played a vital role for Mumbai whenever the chips were down, and proved himself indispensable.

Thakur picked up 35 wickets in the nine matches he played this season at an average of 22.63. He single-handedly shouldered the Mumbai pace bowling attack with three four-wicket hauls and a five-for (best of 6-58 in the semifinal).

With the bat, Thakur was brilliant, garnering 505 runs with one century and three half-centuries. It would be foolish to overlook him for the tour of England, where he has already performed so well, and where he is headed over in the summer to play county cricket for Essex.

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#2 Auqib Nabi Dar (Jammu and Kashmir)

One of the standout performers in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy was Jammu and Kashmir seamer Aquib Nabi Dar. Although it would not be easy for him to break into the India squad quite so soon given the depth the senior side already has, the selectors can choose to groom him by sending him on A tours.

Dar was the best fast bowler in the Ranji Trophy this season, ending the list of highest wicket-takers in second position with 44 scalps in just eight matches. Astonishingly, Dar picked up six fifers and two four-wicket hauls in the eight matches that he played in, virtually performing well in every game he turned up. He picked his wickets up at an astonishing average of 13.93, and the senior selectors would do his confidence more harm than good by overlooking him.

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#1 Karun Nair (Vidarbha)

Veteran batter Karun Nair made a comeback in style in the 2024-25 domestic season. Apart from being the leading run-scorer of the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a godlike average of almost 390, Nair was also the fourth-highest run-getter in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy.

He amassed 863 runs in the red-ball tournament and ended behind the likes of Yash Rathod (Vidarbha), Shubham Sharma (Madhya Pradesh) and Tanmay Agarwal (Hyderabad).

Nair has already played six Tests for India, in which he has scored only the second triple-century by an Indian (303* against England in 2016). India, who are sorely lacking a solid middle-order batter who can strike a good balance between attack and defence, must look no further than the 33-year-old.

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