Ranji Trophy 2012-13: Top 5 batsmen so far

Ranji Trophy is the school of Indian cricket and as we all know, the growing talents of Indian cricket appear in Ranji Trophy. The 2012-13 season of Ranji Trophy has now reached the business end and we have had some great performances in this season of this prestigious tournament.

Due to the international duties, big names missed quite many matches in the tournament and the veterans of Ranji Trophy, along with the young guns topped the bowling and batting lists. This article will highlight the batting performances in the tournament so far and also why this is the best time to perform well, score runs and catch the attention of selectors.

BATTING PERFORMANCES (Top 5 run getters)

Karnataka batsman C Muralidharen Gautam has scored 938 runs in 13 innings at an outstanding average of 138 and is the leading run scorer in the tournament so far (3 hundreds and 2 fifties). Gautam has been very consistent for the Karnataka team and he caught everyone’s attention with his marathon knock of 264 not out, where he showed signs of making it to the national squad.

Gujarat captain and wicket-keeper batsman Parthiv Patel is number 2 in the list of top run-getters in Ranji this season. Parthiv has been a consistent performer at the domestic level and has scored 895 runs in 13 innings at an average of 68.84 in the tournament so far (3 hundreds and 6 fifties). Parthiv has been waiting for his Test comeback and when people are questioning Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s place in the Test team, it’ll be interesting to see if he can he make a Test comeback.

Kerala’s opening batsman VA Jagadeesh follows next. Averaging over 72, this right handed batsman has impressed one and all with his elegant stroke making and rock solid temperament. Jagadeesh has been instrumental in Kerala’s success in this tournament. The opening pair of Sehwag and Gambhir has been struggling with their form since some time now. Can this 29-year old push the selectors for a place in the Test squad?

Veteran of the Ranji Trophy, Amol Muzumdar, who plays for Andhra Pradesh has taken the number 4 seat in the list. Amol averages over 78 this season and has smashed 5 hundreds, batting at number 5. His story has been a sad one where he has scored tons and tons of runs at domestics level but never made it to the national squad.

Number 5 in this list is Manprit Juneja, a young lad from Gujarat, who averages over 66 and has scored 796 runs at an average of 66.33 with 3 hundreds and 3 fifties. He looks like another young talent to watch out for in future but he would have to prove his worth consistently at domestic level.

The above mentioned five names are the top 5 scorers in the tournament so far. A few other new names have also made their presence felt in the Ranji Trophy this season. Young Jivanjot Singh impressed one and all with his 200+ score on debut, Mandeep Singh has also chipped in with few good performances and Jalaj Saxena has been a consistent run scorer for MP this season.

Is this the time to perform and put pressure on selectors?

Right now, we’re dealing with a team in shambles and it would be just fair to say that Indian cricket is in a big mess. Right from top to bottom, there’s huge scope for improvement in the Indian team and as they say, “desperate times need desperate measures”. There have been few consistent performers at the domestic level, but right now, selectors are looking for long term prospects and this is where young talent can push the selectors for a place in the team. Indian cricket, and specifically Test cricket is on the verge of seeing some drastic changes, and good performances at domestic level will get noticed, which were before ignored during the time of Sachin, Dravid and Laxman.

P.S: There have been some great bowling performances too but this piece focuses only on the batting performances. Watch this space for a piece on bowling performances, which will be posted soon.