Ranji Trophy 2021-22: Best XI of the tournament
The 2021-22 edition of the Ranji Trophy concluded on Sunday with Madhya Pradesh clinching its maiden title. Defeating 41-time champions Mumbai by six wickets, the Aditya Shrivastava-led outfit tasted glory at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Madhya Pradesh weren't fancied as one of the title favorites at the start of the tournament. Despite the absence of a big-ticket A-lister, they managed to defy the odds and scale the summit under the tutelage of Chandrakant Pandit.
The Ranji Trophy 2021-22 season will be remembered for a number of breakout performances. Notwithstanding the truncated format, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were runs and wickets galore all the way through.
On that note, we list our best playing XI from the just-concluded season that was played across two legs on either side of the IPL.
Openers - Rohan Kunnummal and Yash Dubey
Kerala couldn't proceed beyond the group stages of the tournament, but one player who left a mark on it was Rohan Kunnummal. The right-handed opening batter compiled three successive tons and a 75 on the four instances he walked out to bat, ending with 417 runs at an average of 139.00.
Alongside Kunnummal is Madhya Pradesh's Yash Dubey. With 614 runs at an average of 76.75, Dubey's dogged approach saw him emerge as the best opening batter in the competition.
After a marathon 289 against Kerala in March, he saved his best for the final as his first innings knock of 133 paved the way for his side to taste glory.
Middle-order - Baba Indrajith, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan and Chetan Bist (wk)
Tamil Nadu's Baba Indrajith proved why he's one of the finest red-ball batters in the country with three consecutive hundreds in the Ranji Trophy 2021-22. Much like Kunnummal, Indrajith too batted on just four occasions but compiled 396 runs at a Bradman-esque average of 99.00. He will also captain this side having had the experience of the role in past seasons.
Rajat Patidar capped off a dream purple patch with an enterprising hundred in the final, shutting the door on a Mumbai comeback. With 658 runs at 82.25 including five fifties and two centuries, Patidar was second on the run-scorers' charts, showing incredible consistency.
The No.5 in this lineup could only go to one man. 982 runs at 122.75, including two fifties and four centuries, get your dictionary out and search for a suitable adjective to justify Sarfaraz Khan's Ranji Trophy season.
What do we say about Chetan Bist? The veteran converted all of his five 50+ scores into hundreds - the most by any batter in the tournament. With 623 runs at an jaw dropping average of 311.50, he was responsible in powering Nagaland into the pre-quarterfinal stage. Of course, he walks into our XI as the wicket-keeper.
All-rounders - Shahbaz Ahamad and Shams Mulani
Graduating into India A honors seems like a mere formality now for Shahbaz Ahamad. The Bengal all-rounder has enjoyed yet another fruitful Ranji Trophy season, scoring 482 runs with the bat at 60.25 and picking up 20 wickets at 22.10 apiece. That most of his runs have come under clutch moments with his side in trouble adds further weightage to his quality and caliber.
Shams Mulani ended the season as the highest wicket-taker with 45 scalps from six games. A bowling average of 16.75 is the stuff of dreams and in Mumbai's run to the final, the left-arm spinner was one of their biggest catalysts. Throw in 321 runs at an average of just over 40 and a run of five consecutive half-centuries and you're looking at quite the package!
Bowlers - T Ravi Teja, Kumar Kartikeya and Gaurav Yadav
From making an impression in the IPL as a replacement player for Mumbai Indians to winning the Ranji Trophy, it's been a dream period for Kumar Kartikeya. With 32 wickets at 21 apiece, Kartikeya was Madhya Pradesh's bowling lynchpin as he finished second only to Mulani on the wicket-takers' charts in this year's Ranji Trophy.
While a combination of Mulani, Kartikeya and Shahbaz Ahamad makes it a troika of left-arm spinners, Kartikeya's variations in bowling the odd one off his wrists lends variety on its own.
Gaurav Yadav and T Ravi Teja will lead the seam attack in this XI. Yadav was the standout seamer of the tournament with 23 wickets at 18.91 each and a strike rate of 33.1, proving to be instrumental in Madhya Pradesh's triumph.
Ravi Teja is an all-rounder himself, as a hundred in first-class cricket would suggest. With 20 wickets from a mere three games at a sub-15 average, though, he made quite a splash for Hyderabad in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy season. Here's a player to keep an eye out for.
Best XI of the Ranji Trophy 2021-22: Rohan Kunnummal, Yash Dubey, Baba Indrajith (c), Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Chetan Bist (wk), Shahbaz Ahamad, Shams Mulani, T Ravi Teja, Kumar Kartikeya, Gaurav Yadav