Top 7 performers in Ranji Trophy 2014/15

‘Probation period’ in corporate terms refers to a period during which a person’s performance in the job is closely observed and is evaluated at the end, before he gets promoted to a bigger and a permanent role in the organisation. Analogous to that is the Ranji Trophy in Indian cricket, where an aspiring national cricketer has to prove himself in the biggest domestic circuit for him to be chosen into the Indian cricket team. Consistent performance in this 80-year-old domestic tournament will most definitely leave a cricketer only a step shy of a national call-up. The recently concluded season saw Karnataka emerge as winners and lift the prestigious trophy.But, what would have caught the attention of coaches, selectors and the captains alike are some of the wonderful individual performances by the players from different teams.We take a look back at the top seven performers who were at their top throughout the tournament this season and showed signs of making it big in Indian cricket.

#1 Robin Uthappa

The walking hit over the bowler's head and the one legged pull on the on-side are some of the shots that clearly define this 29-year-old Karnataka batsman, Robin Uthappa. After being part of the T20 World Cup winning side in 2007, Uthappa had a spell out of international cricket and struggled to make a comeback. After proving himself in both Ranji and IPL thereafter, this attacking batsman earned a recall to the ODI side in 2014.

He continued his glorious touch in this season of Ranji Trophy as well and finished as the highest run-getter with 912 runs at an incredible average of 50. Nicknamed 'The Walking Assassin', Uthappa scored two centuries and four fifties and was a vital cog in Karnataka’s surge to the top. His knocks of 158 and 77 in the quarter-final against Assam are the highlights of this terrific season.

#2 Dinesh Karthik

Despite being a hot buy in the IPL, Dinesh Karthik has been one of the unfortunate ones to miss out on being part of the ‘special eleven’ (Indian team) as India has always found an irreplaceable option in M.S.Dhoni when it comes to glove-work. The Chennaite, who is aged 29, has played 132 first class matches in his decade long career but couldn’t make many in Ranji Trophy tournaments so far.

However, this cherubic wicket-keeper batsman flushed down his past by raking in 884 runs this season for Tamil Nadu which includes four centuries in eleven matches. In the semi-final against Maharashtra, Karthik came in at number 4 and made an artistic 113 helping Tamil Nadu pose a tough total which it defended to enter the finals. Karthik, who knows very well that only strong showings with the bat will open doors for him in the Indian team, was the second highest run scorer this season.

#3 KL Rahul

Having forayed into domestic cricket in 2010, KL Rahul enjoyed a break-through Ranji season in 2013-14 laying the foundation of Karnataka’s Ranji trophy victory. This season was only a continuation of the preceding one for the 22-year-old right-hander as he maintained a stupendous average of 93.11 in the five matches he played.

Scoring a triple-hundred in a competitive format is an herculean task unto itself more so, becoming the first man to achieve that unique feat for your state made it even more special for Rahul. He scored a 337 against U.P. and also piled up 188 runs while sharing an excellent 386 run stand with Karun Nair (another triple-centurion) in this season’s final against Tamil Nadu and ensured Karnataka held on to the trophy firmly for the second consecutive time.

He is among the highly rated young talents in the country and even made his international opportunity count by notching up a hundred against Australia in 2015 in only the second Test he played and is surely in for bigger things.

#4 Sheldon Jackson

Hailing from Bhavnagar, this little known Saurashtra batsman caught everyone’s attention after he scored two consecutive centuries, one against Punjab and the other against Maharashtra in the 2014/15 Ranji Trophy tournament. He also has three fifties to his name this season.

Though Saurashtra did not enjoy a great season, Jackson’s performance was a stand-alone factor for the team and at least helped them stay in the hunt.

#5 Paras Dogra

Paras Dogra of Himachal Pradesh finished this Ranji season with an unbelievable batting average of 135.50. He also had scored four centuries which is the highest this season, sharing the feat with Tamil Nadu’s Dinesh Karthik.

Dogra plundered the lowly Tripura attack and reached a double century in a group match. The 30-year old also has a good amount of domestic experience to his name.

#6 Vinay Kumar

If there’s something called as the ‘midas touch’, Vinay Kumar has currently got one. 48 wickets in 10 matches and three five-wicket-hauls speak volumes about his performance this Ranji Season. Of all these, the most inspiring factor is the way in which he led the Karnataka team to retain the trophy after having won it in 2014.

He was menacing with the ball, and his 6 for 20 against Mumbai in the semi-finals and 5 for 34 against Tamil Nadu in the all important finals were stand-alone performances. This hard-working pacer has been a regular in the IPL scene but hasn’t experienced similar fate with the Indian team.

Although he has played a decent number of ODIs, he has featured in only one Test match for India so far. Hopefully, the way in which he rocked in the Ranji Trophy will get due recognition in a country that is facing a severe dearth of good fast-bowlers.

#7 Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur was a name unheard of in national cricket until he became the jointhighest wicket-taker with 48 wickets in the just concluded Ranji Trophy. An intent and fierce right-arm medium fast bowler that he is, Thakur is only 23 years of age andrepresentsMumbai. He has five five-fors and a match-winning best bowling figure of 6 for 53 which he scalped against U.P.

This Mumbaikar doesnt believe in sledging nonetheless intimidates the batsmen with just a stare and the rest is taken care of by his outstanding deliveries. He will be looking forward to reap the most benefit from his IPL outings for Kings XI Punjab.