The Ranji Trophy served up some thrilling action this week, featuring notable performances from some of India’s top talent along with surprising upsets. Among the highlights were Jammu & Kashmir’s stunning victory over a star-studded Mumbai and Shubman Gill’s brilliant century in a losing cause against Karnataka. Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad missed his century but Maharashtra continued to dominate Baroda. Meanwhile, Bengal faced an embarrassing defeat against Haryana.
J&K spoils Rohit Sharma’s comeback, claims victory over Mumbai
In a stunning upset, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) defeated Mumbai by five wickets, marking the first occasion in a decade that they managed to best the giants of Indian cricket. Set a target of 205 runs, J&K displayed a David vs Goliath kind of story, achieving the target with five wickets in hand within three days.
This victory not only marked J&K’s second win over Mumbai in Ranji history, but also catapulted them to the top of Group A with an impressive 29 points. Despite the star power of Rohit Sharma, who returned to the Ranji fold, Mumbai faltered, with Sharma scoring just 3 and 28 runs in two innings. Shardul Thakur’s valiant effort—a half-century in the first innings and a century in the second—went unnoticed as J&K’s batting trio, Vivrant Sharma, Shubham Khajuria, and Abid Mushtaq, led their team to a cherished triumph, echoing their previous win over Mumbai back in the 2014-15 season. Other superstars like Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube couldn’t do anything as well.
Shubman Gill century in vain
Punjab’s Shubman Gill delivered a masterclass with the bat, scoring a sublime 102 runs against Karnataka, but his efforts were not enough to save his team from an innings defeat. After an unimpressive first innings score of just 55, Gill played a valiant innings, showcasing skill and flair as he struck 14 fours and three sixes during his 171 deliveries. However, Punjab’s batting collapse continued, as they were bundled out for 213 runs in their second innings, succumbing to an innings defeat by 207 runs. This performance follows a disappointing Test series against Australia, where he struggled to find form. His century is a superb sign with a packed white-ball season coming up.
Ruturaj Gaikwad falls short of century
Maharashtra’s captain Ruturaj Gaikwad showcased his talent with a dynamic 89 off 83 balls against Baroda, narrowly missing a century by just 11 runs. After a disappointing first innings score of 10, he bounced back with an aggressive display, hitting 14 boundaries and 2 sixes.
This innings marked Gaikwad’s 14th half-century in First-Class cricket as he has accumulated 2,632 runs in 38 matches, boasting an average of over 41 and including 7 centuries. Gaikwad started the day at 66(54) as he took away the Baroda attack handsomely. He operated at a SR of 107.23, which is quite a lot. However, he missed out on a hundred as Atit Sheth got him out. Saurabh Nawale is still unbeaten on a century as Maharashtra have a gigantic 616-run lead. They will definitely secure points against Baroda.
Ranji Trophy Round 6 Day 3 Brief Scores:
| Matchup | Venue | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Meghalaya vs Odisha | Meghalaya Cricket Association Cricket Ground, Shillong | Meghalaya trail by 129 runs |
| Tripura vs Services | Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium, Agartala | Tripura lead by 58 runs |
| Railways vs Assam | Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati | Assam trail by 75 runs |
| Bihar vs Uttar Pradesh | Moin-ul-Haq Stadium, Patna | Bihar trail by 225 runs |
| Chhattisgarh vs Jharkhand | Keenan Stadium, Jamshedpur | Chhattisgarh lead by 59 runs |
| Haryana vs Bengal | Bengal Cricket Academy Ground, Kalyani | Haryana won by 284 runs |
| Tamil Nadu vs Chandigarh | SCF Cricket Ground, Salem | Chandigarh need 290 runs |
| Madhya Pradesh vs Kerala | St Xavier’s College Ground, Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala need 335 runs |
| Delhi vs Saurashtra | Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot | Saurashtra won by 10 wickets |
| Punjab vs Karnataka | M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | Karnataka won by an innings and 207 runs |
| Maharashtra vs Baroda | Golf Club Ground, Nasik | Maharashtra lead by 616 runs |
| Mumbai vs Jammu and Kashmir | Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC, Mumbai | Jammu and Kashmir won by 5 wickets |
| Uttarakhand vs Gujarat | Gujarat College Ground, Ahmedabad | Gujarat won by an innings and 28 runs |
| Hyderabad vs Himachal Pradesh | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad | Himachal Pradesh trail by 316 runs |
| Andhra vs Puducherry | Cricket Association Puducherry Siechem Ground, Puducherry | Andhra lead by 185 runs |
| Vidarbha vs Rajasthan | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur | Vidarbha lead by 258 runs |
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