The first round of the 2025/26 Ranji Trophy concluded on Saturday (October 18). Here's how those on the fringes of India's Test squad performed.
Haryana vs Railways
Anshul Kamboj
Kamboj'sTest debut against England did not go to plan. He didn't make the squad for the West Indies Tests, but should still be around the setup. He had an unremarkable game against Railways, taking 1-40 and 0-23 opening the bowling as Haryana won by 96 runs.
Vidarbha vs Nagaland
Harsh Dubey
Part of the India A team that visited England, left-arm spinner Dubey set a Ranji Trophy record with his 69 wickets last season. His team, Vidarbha, beat Nagaland by an innings in Bengaluru. Dubey himself scored 37 from No.7, before taking 2-40 and 4-51 to continue plugging along.
Tripura vs Services
Hanuma Vihari
Viharilast played a Test in 2022, and hopes of a comeback appear slim. He moved to Tripura ahead of this season, but didn't really make an impact on debut. He scored 16 and 7 from No.4, as his side lost by an innings.
Rajasthan vs Chhattisgarh
Manav Suthar
Another off India's endless conveyor belt of left-arm spinners that can bat, Sutharwas the star of Rajasthan's win over Chhattisgarh. He took 3-72 in the first innings (all tail-enders), before scything through the opposition with 8-42 in the third, bowling them out for 109. He made a golden duck with the bat, though.
Khaleel Ahmed
One of India's left-arm pace options in red-ball cricket, Khaleelwent to England with the A team. He did his job for Rajasthan with 3-72 in the first innings. He sent down only six overs after that, as Suthar took over.
Hyderabad vs Delhi
Ayush Badoni
Perhaps not quite in the Test frame yet, but Badoni'sfirst-class record is becoming difficult to ignore. He missed out somewhat on a flat track, scoring only 53 as Delhi declared on 529-4. But his off-spin proved deadly, as he took career-best figures of 6-73 including Tilak Varma’s wicket. Badoni now averages upwards of 60 with the bat and a shade over 20 with the ball in 18 first-class matches.
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Tilak Varma
Speaking of Tilak, losing his wicket to Badoni for a two-ball duck was not a good look. His own off-spin made an appearance for just six wicketless overs in the match.
Jharkhand vs Tamil Nadu
Ishan Kishan
Kishanplayed a statement innings in Jharkhand's innings win over Tamil Nadu in Coimbatore. Coming in at 79-3, his aggressive knock of 173 pushed them up to 419 in the first innings. A double century was probably there for the taking, but you can't have everything. There is probably a world in which he does enough to get back in India's Test squad for the first time since 2023.
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N Jagadeesan
India's backup keeper-cum-opener in Rishabh Pant's absence, Jagadeesanwas on the other end of Kishan's Jharkhand result. Captaining Tamil Nadu, he only managed 3 and 21 as the team's totals read a measly 93 and 212.
Jammu & Kashmir vs Mumbai
Ajinkya Rahane
Rahanestepped down from Mumbai captaincy before this season, and Test comeback is unlikely. He didn't cover himself in glory, with 27 and 0 from No.3 against Jammu and Kashmir.
Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfarazhas been missing from India's Test squads since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and has a long road back. On day one, he was briefly the victim of a clerical error that listed him, rather than younger brother Musheer, being dismissed for a three-ball duck as an opener. He actually came in at No.5, and was run out for 42. In Mumbai's second innings, Sarfaraz made 32. Not failures, but nothing to really make anyone take notice.
Tanush Kotian
Another frequent feature in 'A' squads, off-spinner Kotianmade 28 and 10 from No.8, and took 2-53 and 1-62 in a largely supporting role to left-armer Shams Mulani. One thinks breaking into the Indian team will be extremely difficult without a truly staggering season.
Shardul Thakur
Still on the fringes of the India squad after an iffy England tour, and now Mumbai's captain, Thakurreturned 2-80 and 1-31 against J&K. He also made little impact with the bat, surviving 12 and 13 balls in each innings.
Andhra Pradesh vs Uttar Pradesh
KS Bharat
Almost certainly out of the national team reckoning between Pant, Dhruv Jurel and Jagadeesan, Bharat excelled for Andhra anyway. Opening the batting, he top-scored with 142 as his side piled on 470, but ended up coming out worse as Uttar Pradesh took a one-run lead by the end of the game.
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Rinku Singh
On the other side of Bharat was Rinku, India international in T20Is alone but with an incredible first-class record. His unbeaten 165 helped UP to that narrow lead, and was his career-best score. He now averages over 57 in first-class cricket, more than the likes of Rahul Dravid and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Kerala vs Maharashtra
Prithvi Shaw
Shawswitched from Mumbai to Maharashtra this year, and made an inauspicious start with a duck in the first innings against Kerala. He fared much better second time around though, with a brisk 75 off 102 balls. Could a good season put him back in the national reckoning? Never say never...
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Gaikwadis an India international in both white-ball formats, but not yet in Test cricket. He did distinguish himself against Kerala, though. After Maharashtra were 5-4 in the first innings, he made a standout score of 91 as his side secured a 20-run first innings lead. In a somewhat meaningless third innings, he came in at 121-2 and did well to stay not out on 55 off 81 balls.
Gujarat vs Assam
Riyan Parag
Riyan’s white-ball potential has always been clear, and his selection for Duleep Trophy squads in the last couple of seasons reflects some level of trust in his long-form abilities as well. He was unable to make an impact with the bat, with 40 and then a 15-ball duck. He did send down 33 overs for Assam against Gujarat, returning 4-86 including the wicket of centurion Aarya Desai.
Puducherry vs Himachal Pradesh
Jayant Yadav
Jayantmade a century in one of his six Tests for India, and at 35 is almost certain to never play again. His first game for Puducherry was solid enough, but unspectacular. He scored 42 from No.8, and took 2-91 and 1-46 against Himachal Pradesh.
Saurashtra vs Karnataka
Mayank Agarwal
A serviceable opener during his time with the national team, Agarwal's newest season in domestic cricket, as Karnataka captain, got off to a poor start with a dismissal for two in the first innings. He did redeem himself with 64 in the second even as Karnataka narrowly lost out on the first-innings lead.
Devdutt Padikkal
A candidate for India's No.3 spot, Padikkalbatted there for Karnataka as well, compiling a solid 96 in the first innings before making only 19 second time around. Decent time in the middle, with returns as well for a squad player; an all-round positive.
Karun Nair
Dropped after a lean England tour, Nair’s return to Karnataka after helping Vidarbha to last year's title went decently. He made 73 in the first innings, but eight in a difficult second.
Jaydev Unadkat
Saurashtra skipper Unadkat took 1-55 and 2-49 – solid returns on a spin-friendly surface. His wickets were also important ones – Shreyas Gopal, Padikkal and R Smaran.
Punjab vs Madhya Pradesh
Gurnoor Brar
Braris probably not near the Test team yet, but as a tall, quick bowler, was fast-tracked to the India A team after just 12 first-class matches. His start to this season was in sharp contrast to last year, when he finished with 26 wickets at 20.3: opening the bowling, he returned 0-75 in 20 overs for Punjab vs Madhya Pradesh.
Rajat Patidar
Perhaps unfairly dropped after some truly unlucky dismissals against England earlier this year, Patidarhas started this season with a vengeance. Batting at five and captaining MP, he scored an unbeaten 205, the first double century of his first-class career and already his third ton of the season after three-figure scores for Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy.
Bengal vs Uttarakhand
Abhimanyu Easwaran
Perennially on the fringes of India's Test side, Easwaranis still uncapped. He had a mixed game against Uttarakhand, for Bengal with a golden duck in the first innings, but an unbeaten 71 in the second as they won by eight wickets.
Akash Deep
Akashwas the only one who went wicketless in the first innings, out of Bengal's four frontline bowlers. He did pick up two wickets in the second innings, of opener Avneesh Sudha and No.5 Shashwat Dangwal.
Mohammed Shami
Shamitook seven wickets for Bengal in the match, and had his own words about his fitness as far as India selection goes. But some context is needed. He was wicketless in 14 overs in the first innings, before wiping out Uttarakhand's tail in the space of four balls. Even in the second innings, three of his four victims were the Nos.8, 9 and 11. A useful skill? Yes, but Shami may have to do more to earn a recall.
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