Ranji Trophy 2015/16: Team of the tournament
The 82nd edition of the Ranji Trophy ended on Friday, and with it, the curtains came down on a superlative campaign by the Mumbai Ranji team. A young and resurgent Mumbai team landed the knock-out punch on a Saurashtra side that failed to turn up at their best for the finals. Winning forty-one out of the eighty-two Ranji titles is a feat so extraordinary, that its hard not to compare Mumbai cricketÂs dominance in India with that of AustraliaÂs dominance in global events such as the World Cup.As we head towards the conclusion of the domestic season, Sportskeeda picks the team of the tournament for this years Ranji Trophy.While a lot of players were contenders for the eleven available spots, the following metrics were used to determine the final selection:- Priority has been given to the spot in the batting order an individual plays at. So a player who has performed better than his peers while batting lower down the order has been preferred over some player who might have scored more runs, but got those runs batting at a higher number. - There is a clear disparity between the level of competition in Pools A & B and Pool C. Preference has been given to performers in Pool A & B simply for the fact that players in these groups have performed against relatively stronger opposition.- The team composition includes an opener who doubles up as a spinning all-rounder, six other batsmen (which includes two wicket-keepers), two spinners and two pacers.
#1 Jalaj Saxena (Madhya Pradesh)
It must be disappointing for Jalaj Saxena to not make the cut for the Irani Cup, despite scoring 588 runs and picking up 49 wickets in this year’s Ranji Trophy. There’s little that a player can do apart from picking up wickets and notching up big scores.
Saxena’s utility to Madhya Pradesh has been two-fold. Not only has he been a solid, experienced hand at the top of the order, he also doubled up as a spinner and has often been used by his captain to break crucial, match threatening partnerships.
It was against Railways that Saxena produced the second-best figures in the history of the competition, taking 16 for 154, to rout the opposition within three days at Gwalior.