Ranji Trophy 2012-13: The Jharkhand Campaign

Match Summary: Jharkhand (401 & 33/0) drew with Punjab (699/3d)Punjab qualify to semi-finals on 1st innings lead basis.

On a flat track in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand were heavily outbatted by the Harbhajan Singh led Punjab team. Jharkhand’s 1st innings was held up by Nemat & Jaggi’s centuries while Akhash Verma & Saurabh Tiwary failed to replicate their earlier form and went out cheaply. In reply, the Jharkhand attack was toothless in front of the Punjab batsmen, with Taruwar Kohli leading the way with an unbeaten triple century. (Incidentally I have witnessed VVS Laxman scoring a triple on this very ground). With Punjab having secured a conclusive lead, the rest of the match meandered into a draw.

With this, the Jharkhand campaign has come to an end. To reach the quarter-finals without any big names would be a tremendous achievement, especially given last year’s performances. Group C was the easier of the 3 groups but qualification certainly wasn’t, given the topsy-turvy season that Jharkhand had. Next season they will be up against the big boys, having been promoted. Hopefully the team will build on the success of this season.

Well done to Shahbaz Nadeem and company. It was really satisfying following your innings in this Ranji season. Also Tarak Sinha, the coach, is now doing wonders with the Jharkhand team after taking Rajasthan to 2 Ranji titles.

Season Stats

Top Batsmen

1. Saurabh Tiwary – 602 runs @46.31 including 2 centuries2. Ishank Jaggi – 465 runs @42.27 with one century3. Rameez Nemat – 419 runs @34.92 with one century

Top Bowlers

1. Shahbaz Nadeem – 42 wickets @25.982. SS Rao – 26 wickets @24.653. Sunny Gupta – 25 wickets @31.48

A special mention must be made of newcomer Ajay Yadav, who took 23 wickets, including 2 ten-wicket match hauls. From cattle-grazer to playing a leading role in a couple of Jharkhand victories. This is a truly inspiring story.