Ranji Trophy: Premier Domestic First-Class Tournament Eagerly awaiting the return of the Red Ball, the Premier Domestic First-Class tournament is back after a gap of one year. The Indian Express provides a snapshot of some of the people who can’t wait for its resumption.
Ranji Trophy Edhen Apple Tom (17, Kerala):-
Edhen Apple Tom was surprised when he was included in Kerala’s Ranji Trophy squad. The 17-year-old was not in the preliminary squad but would impress coach Tinu Yohannan with his pace as a net bowler for the team.
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Edhen was born in Dubai where his parents worked at the airport. Besides being eight years old, he and his father moved to India, while his mother remained in Dubai. “My father (Apple Tom Phillips) was a fast bowler himself.
Regarding his unique name, the young man says, “My great-grandfather named my father Apple Tom Phillips, and my grandfather, who lived in Singapore, named me Edhen.”
Prashant Solanki (21, Mumbai):-
Prashant Solanki recalls the day he got a call from Chennai Super Kings (CSK) asking if he would be received as a net bowler for the franchise in UAE during IPL 2021. A few months later, CSK will place a bid of Rs 1.2 crore for 21. Prashant-year-old Mumbai leg-spinner is in the IPL auction.
Saurabh Kumar (28, Uttar Pradesh):-
Saurabh Kumar will pray that no one pulls the chain of the train as he left for Delhi from Baghpat. Pulling the chains meant his daily practice would be a convention hit. Saurabh’s father, a retired junior engineer in All India Radio, wanted his son to become a cricketer.
Nishant Sindhu (19, Haryana):-
Nishant Sindhu’s unbeaten 50 against England in the Under-19 World Cup final showed his big-match nature. The 17-year-old Haryana all-rounder took six wickets and scored 140 runs in that tournament. But what was his stoic acumen and rigor as he led his country in two matches following a Covid-19 outbreak in the Indian camp?
Umran Malik (22, Jammu and Kashmir):-
In the last Indian Premier League season, Umran Malik was the only bright spark for Sunrisers Hyderabad. The strapping pacer from Gurjar Nagar in Jammu was fast and most furious, banging his toes as well as injuring the helmets of the batsmen, making them swoon and difficult with the bounce.
He was so agile that his then Sunrisers teammate Rashid Khan recently quipped under an Instagram picture: “Bhai Thora dheeme dal Karo Mujhe (Please bowl slow at me)”.
Arzan Nagwaswalla (24, Gujarat):-
The 24-year-old from Vapi didn’t get sold in the recent IPL auctions but don’t despair. “I will just try to control the things that are within my control. I know my strengths very well and how to use them wisely,” he told The Indian Express.
Ranji Trophy Jayant Yadav (32, Haryana):-
There was a gap of almost five years between Jayant Yadav’s fourth and fifth Tests. In early 2017, he suffered a strange finger injury, and has not been able to bowl for over a year. This earned him a place in India’s Test squad, and apart from a few mediocre first-class seasons, he fell below the pecking order.
Mandeep Singh (30, Punjab):-
In the 2018-19 Ranji season, Mandeep Singh scored 602 runs at an average of 54.72. The next season came 696 runs at 69.60. But these numbers won’t tell anyone whether that 90-run knock against Delhi was on a less prepared pitch in the capital during the 2018-19 session or a quick 89 against Kerala against the trio of Sandeep Warrier, Basil Thampi in Mohali’s green- Came on a full wicket. and MD is the fund.
Vishnu Vinod (Kerala):-
At 28, Vishnu Vinod is not a new kid in the block. But this Ranji Trophy could be a new beginning for them. On the basis of his excellent performance in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 and Vijay Hazare ODI, this wicket-keeper batsman has been made the vice-captain of Sachin Baby.
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As the Ranji Trophy returns after two years, Vishnu, older, wiser, and stronger, will try to make up for lost time and Kerala’s first match against Meghalaya in Rajkot could set them up for a bumper season.
