3 players who could earn recall to Indian Test squad after splendid show in Ranji Trophy 2022-23
Ranji Trophy 2022-23 ended earlier this week at Eden Gardens, where Saurashtra beat Bengal to become the champions for the second time. Captain Jaydev Unadkat led his team from the front in the summit clash and helped them become two-time Ranji Trophy winners.
The recently concluded Ranji Trophy season had started in December 2022, with 38 teams from different parts of the country competing. Eventually, Saurashtra emerged as the champions.
Several uncapped players like Sarfaraz Khan, Priyank Panchal, Shams Mulani, Jalaj Saxena, Baltej Singh, Harvik Desai, Arpit Vasavada, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Akash Deep, Sachin Baby and Dhruv Shorey impressed with their spectacular performances in Ranji Trophy 2022/23.
The aforementioned names inched a step closer to their maiden India Test cap by performing well in the tournament. Moreover, some players, who were previously dropped from the Indian Test side, also performed well in Ranji Trophy 2022-23.
The following three players have boosted their chances of a recall to the Indian Test squad by performing well in Ranji Trophy 2022-23:
#1 Mayank Agarwal - Top run-scorer in Ranji Trophy 2022-23
Karnataka made it to the semifinals of Ranji Trophy 2022-23, where they lost against eventual champions Saurashtra. One of the main reasons behind their run to the final four was Mayank Agarwal's consistency at the top.
Agarwal ended the season as the top run-getter. He scored 990 runs in just 13 innings for Karnataka at a brilliant average of 82.5 and a decent strike rate of close to 60.
The right-hander smashed three centuries and six fifties in nine games. He lost his place in the Indian team after a Test against Sri Lanka last year. After his magnificent performance in Ranji Trophy, Agarwal has a chance of earning a recall in the near future.
#2 Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane received a lot of opportunities to prove himself before the management finally gave up on him in early 2022. Rahane's last Test appearance came against South Africa in January last year.
The veteran Indian batter turned up for Mumbai in this season's Ranji Trophy and ended as one of the top run-scorers. He aggregated 634 runs in just seven games, scoring two hundreds and a fifty. It will be interesting to see if the selectors give him one more opportunity.
#3 Prithvi Shaw
Another Mumbai batter who would have earned the selectors' attention with his performances in Ranji Trophy is Prithvi Shaw. The right-hander proved that he can play marathon knocks in red-ball cricket by smacking the highest individual score of the season.
Playing in a group game against Assam, Shaw scored a record 379, whacking 49 fours and four maximums. Overall, he aggregated 595 runs for Mumbai. Shaw has done well in home Tests for India in the past, so it will be exciting to see if he gets a chance to play for the nation again.