Ranji Trophy 2017-18: 10 unknown names who excelled this season

#3 R Sanjay, Vidarbha

735 runs at 66.81 in 8 Tests

In his first 10 first-class games in three years at Vidarbha, R Sanjay had as little as 485 runs to show at 26.95 with one hundred and four fifties. After just eight games more – all of them in the current season – he has added 735 runs to that to go with three hundreds and two half-centuries.

With his captain and opening partner Faiz Fazal, Sanjay has not only stitched together lengthy partnerships to frustrate the opposition – they have twice put on over 250 for the first wicket so far – but also features in the top five run-getters' list in the 2017-18 season.

At only 22, another few years of consistent performance on the Ranji stage may be enough to earn him a national call-up, especially with India constantly having to shuffle their opening combination in the last four years.

#4 Vikas Mishra, Delhi

Vikas Mishra also played for India in the U-19 Asia Cup in 2012

32 wickets at 21.50 in 6 matches

Another left-arm spinner taking giant strides in domestic cricket, Vikas Mishra took his share of time for earning a name. Having started out for Delhi as far back as in the 2009-10 Ranji Trophy when he was only 16, Mishra also played for North Zone in the Duleep Trophy and then India Under-19 in the 2012 Asia Cup in Malaysia. A haul of 4/18 against the hosts in that tournament was a fine contribution in leading India into the final, which they tied against Pakistan.

There were sporadic appearances for him in the upcoming domestic seasons, but once he returned to the Delhi side this year, he proved effective right away with seven wickets against Railways, five against Maharashtra, nine against Hyderabad and eight against Madhya Pradesh in the quarter-final. That shot him up to sixth on the wicket-takers' list this year, the best by a Delhi bowler and equal with a far more experienced Piyush Chawla.