3 India hopefuls who have missed big chunks of Ranji Trophy 2024 ft. Prithvi Shaw
While the Indian Premier League (IPL) has become the most sought-after tournament in the world, the Ranji Trophy still holds massive significance when it comes to selection in the longest format of the game.
The Ranji Trophy is considered a platform where you can showcase your talent and prove your mettle and worth against the red ball.
Some of the players who are in contention for India selection are fighting it out in the Ranji Trophy 2024 to make a case for them when it comes to national selection. The hard work and consistency of Sarfaraz Khan finally paid off, as he earned his maiden call-up to the Indian Test team for the second Test against England.
While the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are sweating it out for their respective states, trying to regain their lost spots in the Indian team, there are quite a few players who have missed large chunks of the Ranji Trophy.
Having said that, have a look at three India hopefuls who have missed big chunks of the Ranji Trophy 2024:
#3 Ruturaj Gaikwad
One of the most established white-ball openers in the franchise circuit, Ruturaj Gaikwad's career has been on the rise ever since his breakthrough year for the Chennai Super Kings in 2020.
Gaikwad has also forced his way into the national white-ball team and recently scored a century against Australia in the shortest format.
Ruturaj is a free-flowing stroke player with a solid technique. He looks equally good against both spin and pace. While he has performed brilliantly in white-ball formats, Gaikwad hasn't played a first game for a year.
While his inclusion in the Indian white-ball set-up did play a part in his absence from the red-ball format, Gaikwad's technique makes him a prospect even in the red-ball format.
He hasn't played a single match in the ongoing edition of the Ranji Trophy. Gaikwad suffered an injury to his right finger during the 2nd ODI against South Africa during India's recent tour and has been out of action since.
In 28 first-class matches so far, Gaikwad has scored 1941 runs at an average of 42.19 with 6 centuries and 9 half-centuries.
#2 Prasidh Krishna
Prasidh Krishna, who was recently part of the Indian Test squad for the tour of South Africa, suffered a quadriceps injury during Karnataka's Ranji Trophy match against Gujarat and took no further part in the match. He is expected to miss out on action for at least 4-6 weeks, which means a large chunk of this edition of the Ranji Trophy.
It was during the opening day's play of their Ranji clash against Gujarat that Prasidh walked off the field after bowling only 14.5 overs. His absence from the Ranji team also allows some of the other pacers to go ahead in the pecking order as far as national selection is concerned.
The 27-year-old lanky speedster has played 15 first-class matches and has bagged 58 wickets. He also made his Test debut against South Africa without making any significant impact.
Prasidh is one of the most talented pacers going around in the country, but he has been wayward on occasions and has the tendency to leak runs at an alarming rate.
#1 Prithvi Shaw
Regarded as one of the finest young batters when he broke into the scene after leading the India U-19 side to a World Cup triumph in 2018, Prithvi Shaw's career has been on a downward curve.
A terrific timer of the ball, Prithvi scored a century in his debut Test against the West Indies and went on to become India's first-choice Test opener. However, injuries kept him out of the side for a long time.
When he came back, there were a few technical flaws in his batting that were found out, and Prithvi has never played a Test match since the Adelaide Test during India's tour of Australia in 2020/21.
He has also missed the ongoing Ranji Trophy and is unlikely to be available for the entirety of the tournament. In September 2023, Prithvi suffered a serious knee injury while playing club cricket in England. The injury has kept him out of action for a long time. He will be hoping that he can return to action in the IPL.