Wasim Jaffer becomes first batsman to score 10,000 runs in Ranji Trophy

Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer on Sunday became the first batsman in history to score 10,000 runs in Ranji Trophy. The former Mumbai stalwart was the leading run-scorer in Ranji Trophy ever since going past Amol Muzumdar. Jaffer, who made his First-Class debut in 1996-97, hit a triple century in only his second match. By 2000 he played his first Test, but he was soon out of the side due to inconsistency. He made a brief comeback in 2005-06, but the advent of Gautam Gambhir pushed him back out of the side. Jaffer scored 1,944 runs in 31 Tests at 34.10 with five tons and 11 fifties, with a highest score of 212. Jaffer is another in a long line of excellent Mumbai batsmen, keeping alive the legacy of the likes of Vijay Merchant, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Sachin Tendulkar.

Jaffer’s overall First-Class career reads over 17,000 runs at an average of more than 50 with 51 centuries and 83 fifties. He has also played 100 List A games, in which he scored 4,289 runs at an impressive 45.62 with 10 hundreds and 29 fifties. Jaffer was less of a success in Twenty20 (T20) cricket, but an average of 28 and a strike rate of 129.14 reads well for someone who was essentailly a classical batsman. Jaffer was one of the most elegant batsmen in his pomp, and had the ability to stroke effortless boundaries against tough bowling and in challenging conditions.

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Jaffer is currently with Vidarbha, having transferred out of Mumbai for the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2015-16 season. He will be pleased to see the young Shreyas Iyer carry on the legacy of excellent Mumbai batting.