Away from the razzmatazz of international cricket, our very own Knights have been performing well in this season’s Ranji Trophy. Let’s take a look at their efforts till the fourth round of this year’s edition.
Gautam Gambhir (Delhi):
His brilliant 86 helped Delhi to score 269 in the first innings against Uttar Pradesh in the 4th round of Ranji Trophy. Gambhir has scored 226 runs till now in the 3 matches. He got off the mark with a brilliant 137 in the first game of this season but wasn’t amongst the runs in the second match. Opening the innings with Unmukt Chand, Gambhir was looking at his fluent best in the last match though and is averaging 56.50 now. He’s the second best amongst Delhi batsmen.
Umesh Yadav (Vidarbha):
The Indian speedster has played 2 Ranji matches (out of 3) and his presence has been inspirational. Umesh has picked up 9 wickets with Vidarbha winning one match (against Services). These matches will surely help our Knight as he will join the Indian team for the Test series against Sri Lanka, starting on 16th November at Eden Gardens.
Piyush Chawla (Gujarat):
Piyush Chawla’s 26 wickets in just 3 matches has been the talking point in this year’s Ranji Trophy. Having shifted his base from Uttar Pradesh, the Gujarat leg-spinner finds himself on the second spot having played one match less than leader, Jalaj Saxena (29 wickets). Though he hasn’t got any Man of the Match awards till now, his performances have been more than vital for the team as he has taken three 5-fers till now. He has been instrumental leading Gujarat to three victories in as many games so far.
Yusuf Pathan (Baroda):
The explosive middle-order batsman began the Ranji Trophy season with a bang! Playing against Madhya Pradresh, he scored 111 in the first innings and followed it with an unbeaten 136 in the second. Although he failed to repeat his performances in the second match, the experienced batsman will be eager to score many big innings.
Ishank Jaggi (Jharkhand):
Elegant batsman, Ishank Jaggi has been in outstanding form in this season’s Ranji Trophy. Batting in the Jharkhand middle order, he scored 103*, 135 and 114 in three consecutive matches to help his team post big totals. With crucial matches against Jammu & Kashmir and Gujarat coming up, his teammates would be hoping that the ‘Jagginaut’ continues.
Sheldon Jackson (Saurashtra):
With a highest score of 181, Sheldon Jackson has averaged 63 till now in the 4 innings. Scoring at a strike rate of 104.13, Sheldon scored 51 in the opening match. He finds himself only behind Cheteshwar Pujara (in terms of runs scored), scoring 252 runs so far and would look to continue his impressive run in the coming matches.
Rishi Dhawan (Himachal Pradesh):
All-rounder Rishi Dhawan is second in the list for his state in terms of wickets taken, having got 11 scalps. His spells of 4/86 and 4/37 in the last match against Bengal were highly impressive. He has played some crucial knocks of 49, 40 & 51*with the bat as well, proving his credentials as a perfect all-rounder.
It has been a positive start for the Knights and we hope the best for them in the upcoming matches for their respective teams.
