KL Rahul: First triple centurion for Karnataka in Ranji Trophy

KL Rahul: First triple centurion for Karnataka

KL Rahul scored 337 for Karnataka against Uttar Pradesh in Ranji Trophy 2014-15. Bharath Seervi lists the highest individual scores for and against all teams in Ranji Trophy.

The latest Test debutant for India, the 23-year old KL Rahul, has had successful start to 2015. He earned his Test cap in the Boxing Day Test against Australia, and though played a few irresponsible strokes to lose his wicket in his debut Test batting lower down the order, he scored a fine century as opener in the first innings of the Sydney Test which turned out to be crucial in the end.

Rahul continued his good form in Ranji Trophy 2014-15. He scored 1,033 runs in 2013-14 edition and had finished as the second-highest run-getter in the season (highest for Karnataka). He started this season with 89 runs against Baroda, and followed it with a triple century against Uttar Pradesh.

Rahul reached his triple ton on January 30, the second day of the match after he has unbeaten on 150 at the end of Day One. Karnataka has a very good Ranji Trophy record: they have won seven titles, which is next to only Mumbai’s tally, but no batsmen ever reached the triple century-mark. There have been seven triple centuries for Mumbai / Bombay, five for Nawanagar / Saurashtra, four for Hyderabad, and so on, but none for Mysore / Karnataka. Finally, young Rahul has crossed the barrier.

Barrington Rowland had been the highest individual scorer for Mysore / Karnataka with 283 against Madhya Pradesh in 2004-05. The table below lists the highest individual scores for Karnataka in Ranji Trophy.

Double centuries for Karnataka in Ranji Trophy

It was Rahul’s maiden First-Class double century in his First-Class career as well. His previous best was 185 for South Zone against Central Zone in October 2014.

Rahul’s 337 is, however, not the highest individual score at Karnataka’s home ground, M Chinnaswamy Stadium. VVS Laxman had scored 353 for Hyderabad against Karnataka at this venue in 1999-00. The next seven are all by Karnataka batsmen.

Let us now see the highest individual scorers for all teams in Ranji Trophy.

Highest individual scores by batsmen for each team in Ranji Trophy

The teams of Central India, Central Provinces and Berar, Eastern Punjab, Gwalior, Nawanagar, North West Frontier Province, Northern India, Northern Punjab, Patiala, Rajputana, Sind, Southern Punjab, and Western India have defunct.

Rahul’s 337 is also the highest individual score by any batsman against Uttar Pradesh and the second triple century against Uttar Pradesh after Kedar Jadhav’s 327 for Maharashtra in 2012-13. Let us list the highest individual scores against each Ranji Trophy team.

Highest individual scores for batsmen against each team in Ranji Trophy

Vijay Merchant (against Maharashtra and Sind), VVS Laxman (against Bihar and Karnataka) and Ravindra Jadeja (against Odisha and Railways) are the only players having the highest individual score against two different teams in Ranji Trophy.

(Bharath Seervi is a cricket statistician who is obsessed with digging numbers, facts and records related to the game. An active member of Society of Cricket Statisticians of India, he blogs at www.cricketseervistats.blogspot.com. He can be followed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SeerviBharath and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SeerviCricket)