Ranji Trophy 2015-16: Teams which have exceeded expectations

Assam, Vidarbha, Gujarat and Jharkhand have exceeded expectations in Ranji Trophy 2015-16.

With the Ranji Trophy 2015-16 season entering the ninth round, there have been a few teams amongst the 27 that have played a much better brand of cricket than expected. The ninth round which kicks off on Tuesday is the last round in group stage before the qualifiers. Three teams each from Group A and B while two teams from Group C will move to the qualifiers. Bhaskar Narayan picks four teams which have eclipsed expectations in the premier domestic tournament of the country. LIVE CRICKET COVERAGE: RANJI TROPHY 2015-16

1. Assam: Assam has impressed immensely in this tournament. Having graduated from Group C last year to Group A, Assam was predicted to find it arduous playing in the elite group. But they have proved the experts wrong by winning three of their seven games. They are currently standing in the second position just after Delhi and are above heavyweights like Bengal and Maharashtra. Assam’s overall record in Ranji Trophy is poor. Having played 254 matches since the inception of Ranji Trophy in 1934, they have won just 43 matches and lost 124. But they are climbing up the ladder pretty quickly and improving with every passing game.

The most striking aspect of their performance is that they are a point above defending champions Karnataka. Assam played excellent cricket in their first match against Karnataka. Although the game ended in a draw, they were always an inch above Karnataka throughout the match. They bowled out Karnataka for a paltry 187 in the first innings. They replied with 194 but Karnataka surpassed them with a brilliant 394 later on. However, Assam came back stronger in the final innings. Banking on Arun Karthik’s century they were 259 for five when the umpire declared the end of final day’s play. Assam’s slow left-arm orthodox bowler Syed Mohammad took a nine-wicket-haul and bagged player of the match award. Assam got three points from the game while Karnataka had to contend with one owing to the former’s greater first innings score. Assam’s medium pace bowler Krishna Das is the third highest wicket-taker of this season. ALSO READ: Assam slam Delhi by 5 wickets in Ranji Trophy 2015-16 Group A match at Guwahati

2.  Vidarbha: Having played seven matches this season, Vidarbha have won three and lost two. They started in Group B in 2014-15 season but owing to a good performance, they were promoted to Group A.  Talking of this season, they have played better than what was anticipated. Vidarbha lost against a quality side Delhi but were able to draw their next match against a much better Karnataka. They won their next game against Assam by three wickets. They went on to record victories against Rajasthan and Maharashtra but lost to Bengal in the middle. Offbreak bowler Akshay Wakhare is the leading wicket-taker of this tournament. Umesh Yadav’s return has also helped them in a big way lately. Vidarbha is now at the fifth spot in points table. Ranji Trophy 2015-16: Spinners give Vidarbha win over Maharashtra

3. Gujarat: Gujarat which ended on fourth spot in Group B last season are currently positioned just after the best team in Ranji History— Mumbai. Gujarat’s skipper Parthiv Patel has led from the front piling 448 runs at an average of 49.77. Opening batsman Priyank Panchal too has been in good nick in the tournament. Offbreak bowler Rujul Bhatt has been instrumental in Gujarat’s success. Gujarat has won two matches by an innings— against Baroda and Railways. Historically, Gujarat has been a poor side but their performance this season implies that they are on their way of becoming a much better team in times to come and will graduate to Group A the next season. ALSO READ: RP Singh’s five-for helps Gujarat slam Madhya Pradesh by 153 runs in Ranji Trophy 2015-16

4. Jharkhand: In group C, Jharkhand stands out as the team which has exceeded expectations. Jharkhand are currently standing on the third spot in Group C just a point less than Kerala. Jharkhand created an upset by defeating Kerala by 133 runs. They also boast of two innings victories versus Himachal Pradesh and Tripura. Their left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem has emerged as the fifth leading wicket-taker of the tournament. Ranji Trophy 2015-16: Jharkand defeat Kerala by 133 runs in Round-3

(Bhaskar Narayan is a reporter at CricketCountry and Criclife. He passionately follows the game and is a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar. His Twitter handle is @Cricopathy)

About the Author