Five batsmen rack up double centuries in Ranji Trophy opening fixtures

Ranji Trophy 2013-2014 has got off to a blistering start, as far as the batting side of it is concerned, with as many as five batsmen scoring double-centuries. It remains to be seen how the recent changes- providing more juice to the pitches- influence the bowling department in the long run.

In turn, it can also help the selectors in filtering out flat track bullies from those who could do well on challenging tracks besides giving the bowlers a much needed relief that can help in taking the challenge to the batsman rather than bowling negative lines.

If pitches are changed in a way to give decent amount assistance to bowlers, as being planned by the BCCI technical committee, the teams will also be looking to win more matches outright than going for a first innings lead.

The most exciting aspect is that four among the five double centurions are youngsters. Baba Aparajith, Sanju Samson, Vijay Zol and Satyam Choudhary have all started their Ranji Trophy campaign on a perfect note by showing their penchant for batting long at a time when Team India is struggling find batsmen who can play well in Tests. The other one being the 28-year-old Himchal Pradesh batsman Paras Dogra.

Paras Dogra (209* off 345):

Paras Dogra

Paras Dogra is better known to Indian cricket fans as the former Rajasthan Royals player. Known for his attacking batting, Shane Warne tipped him as the batsman to watch out for in his last season with the franchise. However, he was sorted out by quality bowlers and could not really make a mark.

He has scored an unbeaten 209 off 345 to take his team to 558/5 in the Ranji Trophy opener. In reply, Goa are following-on after being bowled out for 243 in their first innings. The last day of the first class match is interestingly poised with Goa trailing by 277 runs, currently on 38/0, and Himachal Pradesh needing to bowl out their opposition.

Sanju Samson (211 off 337):

Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson, who has already taken the cricketing world by storm with his performances for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League and Champions League T20, scored his first double-century in Ranji Trophy against Assam. What makes his effort more special is that his 211 off 337 is the only three figure score in the two completed innings of the match.

Also, none of his team members managed to go past 50 runs as he single-handedly managed to give his team a lead of 39 runs in reply to the home team’s 323. With only one more day to go and Assam on 13/0, the match looks to be coasting towards a draw. Nevertheless, Kerala could have very well lost the match, if not for the monumental effort from the 18-year-old youngster, in which their opposition spinners Syed Mohammad and Arlen Konwar spun a web around Kerala batsmen picking up 8 wickets between them.

It is quite bewildering to know that he was not considered good enough to be a part of India’s World Cup winning Under-19 team under the captaincy of Unmukt Chand. Citing his failures in the Under-19 Asia Cup (14 runs in three innings) as the reason, Smit Patel was selected as the wicketkeeper-batsman ahead of Samson.

Baba Aparajith (203 off 395):

Baba Aparajith

Baba Aparajith, who has kick started his domestic season with a couple of centuries (212 and 109) for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy, continued his stellar form scoring 203 off 395 deliveries against Services in Delhi. Again it happens to be the only three-figure mark from either sides with only one more day to go for the completion of the match.

Aparajith, coming in at 16/2, helped his team recover from a precarious situation of having lost both their openers Murali Vijay and Abhinav Mukund. In response to Tamil Nadu’s 456/7, Services are on 245/5. The match is well on its way to becoming a draw.

While the talks about promoting him to the Indian cricket team are quite ignorant of the fact that it would be a step too big for him early into his cricketing career, he can strengthen his case for a spot in the team by doing well on India A tours.

Satyam Choudhary (239* off 496):

Satyam Choudhary

The 23-year-old Satyam Choudhary seems to be a new kid on the block. The Madhya Pradesh opener scored an unbeaten 239 off 496 deliveries en route to taking his team to a first innings score of 510 against Railways. In reply, guided by centuries from Shivakant Shukla and Mahesh Rawat, Railways have managed to score 335/9 at the end of day three. Whether this is an one-off or a sign of things to come can only be known in the days to come.

This happens to be only his first century in the short career of six first class matches with his state team.

Vijay Zol (200* off 324):

Vijay Zol

Vijay Zol, the Maharashtrian wonder-kind, unlike his counterparts Sanju Samson and Baba Aparajith is not known for his flair and style in his batting. But when it comes to scoring big and temperament, is no-less than the other two. Although a bit one-dimensional, Zol has managed to capture the eyes of the men who matter with consistent performances in the Under-19 matches.

In response to Tripura’s 304, Zol racked up an unbeaten 200 off 324 deliveries thereby giving his team a first innings lead of 156 runs. The 18-year-old who made his name with a stunning 451 off 467 deliveries for Maharashtra Under-19s against the Assam Under-19s in the league match of the Cooch Behar Trophy in Nasik, is rated very high by the Indian selectors and one could see exactly why he is earning such plaudits with knocks like these at such an young age.