Five batsmen rack up double centuries in Ranji Trophy opening fixtures

Ranji Trophy 2013-2014 has got off to a blistering start, as far as the batting side of it is concerned, with as many as five batsmen scoring double-centuries. It remains to be seen how the recent changes- providing more juice to the pitches- influence the bowling department in the long run.

In turn, it can also help the selectors in filtering out flat track bullies from those who could do well on challenging tracks besides giving the bowlers a much needed relief that can help in taking the challenge to the batsman rather than bowling negative lines.

If pitches are changed in a way to give decent amount assistance to bowlers, as being planned by the BCCI technical committee, the teams will also be looking to win more matches outright than going for a first innings lead.

The most exciting aspect is that four among the five double centurions are youngsters. Baba Aparajith, Sanju Samson, Vijay Zol and Satyam Choudhary have all started their Ranji Trophy campaign on a perfect note by showing their penchant for batting long at a time when Team India is struggling find batsmen who can play well in Tests. The other one being the 28-year-old Himchal Pradesh batsman Paras Dogra.

Paras Dogra (209* off 345):

Paras Dogra

Paras Dogra is better known to Indian cricket fans as the former Rajasthan Royals player. Known for his attacking batting, Shane Warne tipped him as the batsman to watch out for in his last season with the franchise. However, he was sorted out by quality bowlers and could not really make a mark.

He has scored an unbeaten 209 off 345 to take his team to 558/5 in the Ranji Trophy opener. In reply, Goa are following-on after being bowled out for 243 in their first innings. The last day of the first class match is interestingly poised with Goa trailing by 277 runs, currently on 38/0, and Himachal Pradesh needing to bowl out their opposition.