Ranji Trophy 2017/18, Round 3: How the Indian internationals fared

Another round of the Ranji Trophy came to a close and it was one that saw more hundreds, incredible all-round efforts and bowling spells. It also wasn't a great one for all the Indian internationals, all of whom would have been hoping to gain some valuable preparation ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka.

Several members of the Indian Test squad, including regulars such as Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Umesh Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin featured for their respective state sides. The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja and Ishant Sharma didn't play as their respective sides didn't feature in this round.

Among the stars that did feature in round 3, here is how the Indian internationals fared:

Note: Only players who featured for India in the last year have been included.

Umesh Yadav

Out of India's limited-overs squad, Umesh Yadav is making all the right moves in the Ranji Trophy ahead of the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka. He picked up three wickets apiece in both innings as Vidarbha drew with Chhattisgarh after conceding a first innings lead. The right-arm pacer was economical in both innings and finished with match figures of 6/137.

Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina's bid to make a national comeback suffered another setback in the third round of the Ranji Trophy as the southpaw was dismissed for 0 and 5 as Uttar Pradesh lost to Maharashtra. Although he was economical with the ball, things didn't go according to plan with the bat as he followed up his two-ball stay in the first innings with just 5 runs in the second as his side were bowled out for 292, 31 short of the target on the final day.

KL Rahul

It was a mixed bag for the two Karnataka batsmen

If KL Rahul was looking for a strong performance to cement his place as the first-choice Test opener ahead of the Sri Lanka series, he didn't make a case for the same against Hyderabad. After being dismissed for a 27-ball 4 in the first innings, Rahul fared slightly better in the second innings where he scored 23. However, despite his poor showing, Karnataka continued their impressive start by scoring their second win in two matches.

Karun Nair

One of the main reasons why they were able to claim victory over Hyderabad was the performance of Karun Nair. Although Karnataka were bowled out for 183 in the first innings, Nair was the second top-scorer with 23. In the second innings, he made no mistake as he scored his first century of this season. His 134 helped Karnataka set a stiff target and he even picked up a wicket in the second innings to help his side win by 59 runs.

Abhinav Mukund

Mukund failed to make an impact in the third round

In a high-scoring encounter that saw over 1,000 runs being scored in four days and the match ending in a draw, Abhinav Mukund just scored 9. After Mumbai had scored 374, Tamil Nadu needed a strong start but the southpaw failed to provide it as he was cleaned up by Akash Parkar.

Parthiv Patel

From the wilderness, Parthiv Patel emerged to play for India against England in the Test series last year. However, he managed just a paltry 25 for Gujarat, who went on to win the game against Jammu and Kashmir by an innings and 64 runs. It looks like his chances of playing for India in the foreseeable future remain slim, barring injuries.

Amit Mishra

Mishra's last Test came against England last year

With the emergence of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, the experienced Amit Mishra hasn't had much of a chance. Captaining Haryana, in his first match of the season, against Jharkhand, the leg-spinner couldn't work his magic as he picked up just a solitary wicket in the match that Jharkhand won by 10 wickets. Out of the squad for the Sri Lanka Test series, Mishra's hopes of making a Test comeback don't look too promising.

Parvez Rasool

Despite years of consistent performances in the domestic circuit, Parvez Rasool only made his T20I debut earlier this year. Although he picked up four wickets against Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir still lost by an innings and the 28-year-old all-rounder's chances of adding to his solitary T20I cap remain slim.

Murali Vijay

It wasn't a great day in the office for the Test stars

Playing in his second Ranji Trophy match of the season, Murali Vijay could only manage 11 against Mumbai as Tamil Nadu drew the match after taking a first innings lead. The Indian opener, who looks set to feature against Sri Lanka in the first Test, was dismissed by his namesake Vijay Gohil. This is not the preparation he would have wanted after scoring a fifty in the first round, injuring himself and not taking part in the second round of fixtures.

Ravichandran Ashwin

The only other player assured of a starting spot for the first Test against Sri Lanka once again had a disappointing performance in the Ranji Trophy. Although he finished with 3/78 in the first innings, including the crucial wicket of Prithvi Shaw, he went for 110 runs in the second innings and remained wicketless as he couldn't penetrate throu the obdurate defence of the Mumbai batsmen on a placid pitch. With the bat, he could only manage 13 and if it wasn't for Yo Mahesh's heroics, Tamil Nadu would have conceded a first innings lead.