Several of India's national team hopefuls – in both red-ball and white-ball cricket – were in action in the latest round of the Ranji Trophy. Here's how they fared.
Red-ball hopefuls
Mohammed Shami (Bengal)
Shami stepped up his recovery from injury by playing for Bengal in their latest Ranji fixture against Madhya Pradesh. Despite a few understandable loose deliveries, Shami soon got into the swing of things, taking 4-54 in the first innings.
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He was a touch expensive in the second, taking 3-102 (he also hit 37 with the bat from No.10). But Shami's performance was impressive enough to spark suggestions of him being fit enough to make it to the Indian squad for the second Test against Australia.
Shreyas Iyer (Mumbai)
Shreyas's road to a Test comeback does not seem straightforward, but it is not off the table. He was in patchy form through the Duleep Trophy, but scored a double hundred in Mumbai's previous match against Odisha.
Against Services in the latest fixture, Iyer made his way to a brisk 47 off just 46 balls in his only innings.
Shardul Thakur (Mumbai)
Shardul Thakur was not selected for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but put in an excellent performance against Services, with 4-46 and 3-39. He also chipped in with 18 runs in Mumbai's only innings.
Hanuma Vihari (Andhra)
Vihari's time in India colours is presumably all but over, but at the age of 31, a couple of solid domestic seasons combined with favourable circumstances could give him a short-term recall at some point. He did himself no favours against Hyderabad, though, scoring a duck.
Mayank Agarwal (Karnataka)
Karnataka skipper Agarwal is also doubtful of making a serious comeback to the national side. However, with the opener's spot post-Rohit Sharma still more or less up for grabs, he, like Vihari, could earn a recall as a stop-gap. He was unimpressive against Uttar Pradesh, though, with scores of 30 & 37.
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Pradosh Ranjan Paul (Tamil Nadu)
Tamil Nadu batter Paul isn't quite yet in the scheme of things as far as the national team is concerned, but has already played for India A. With changes expected in the middle-order in the next few years, he could be one eyeing up a spot.
In Tamil Nadu's only innings against Railways, he made his way to 38 off 80 balls.
Shashwat Rawat (Baroda)
Baroda batter Rawat caught the eye during the Duleep Trophy earlier this month with scores of 15, 64, 124* and 53. He is yet to progress past the Ranji level yet, but the 23-year-old has been making all the right noises.
He continued his rich vein of form in Baroda's latest Ranji fixture against Meghalaya, scoring 121 from No.3 as his side secured an innings victory.
White-ball hopefuls
Deepak Chahar (Rajasthan)
A combination of injuries and form have contributed to Chahar's gradual exit from the Indian set-up, but he still remains a fringe option for now. He was okay, if not spectacular against Uttarakhand, taking 2-64 and 2-20, as well as chipping in with 35 runs.
Abhinav Manohar (Karnataka)
Manohar had a barnstorming season in the Maharaja T20 Trophy earlier this year, and undoubtedly harbours ambitions of playing for India. The latest Ranji match against Uttar Pradesh was just his third at first-class level. He scored just six in the first innings, but an unbeaten 31 in the second to secure a draw for Karnataka.
Rajat Patidar (Madhya Pradesh)
Patidar has been in and around the India squad in both red-ball and white-ball cricket, and remains a solid backup batter. He scored 41 and 32 against Bengal, falling victim to Shami in the second innings.
Venkatesh Iyer (Madhya Pradesh)
Not long ago, Venkatesh was seen as a genuine seam-bowling all-rounder for India. It has been some while since that dream has faded, but he was still an integral part of KKR's successful IPL campaign in 2024.
He hit a fifty in the second innings against Bengal, but with just three to his name in the first, and minimal bowling, it was not the best of outings.
Anshul Kamboj (Haryana)
Kamboj followed up a solid campaign in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup with the performance of the round (perhaps even the century) in the Ranji Trophy this week. He took all 10 Kerala wickets in the first innings, for 49 runs – the second-best figures in Ranji Trophy history.
Ayush Badoni (Delhi)
Delhi skipper Badoni put in a masterful performance against Jharkhand, slamming an unbeaten 205 off just 216 balls, out of a team total of 388. He also chipped in with 1-17 in 11 overs, for good measure.
Abdul Samad (Jammu & Kashmir)
Samad is yet to truly deliver on the promise he has shown for a number of years now. Batting at No.4 against Tripura, he managed just 15 and 35. He is yet to go past 40 in five innings since his twin centuries against Odisha last month.
Krunal Pandya (Baroda)
Krunal has played 24 times for India already. Hopes of a comeback are slim, but there is the IPL auction next week. Krunal captained and opened the bowling for Baroda, returning 1-18 in 5 overs. He didn't fare too well with the bat though, scoring just two.
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