Ranji Trophy 2017/18: Big Names Sizzle In Domestic Circuit

Team India star Manish Pandey pressed his claim for a regular place in the national team with a sublime double century to put Karnataka in the driver’s seat against Uttar Pradesh in the ongoing Ranji Trophy tie in Kanpur. The right-handed batsman, who returned to India’s limited-overs teams during the Sri Lanka tour after a stellar performance for India A in South Africa, is yet to cement his place in the national team despite being given regular chances in recent times.

With India’s middle-order far from being settled, Pandey was tried out between Nos. 4 and 6 during the series against Sri Lanka and Australia but he failed to grab the opportunity and was consequently did not play a single ODI against New Zealand. However, he roared back to form against Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket.

The 28-year’s double hundred which came off 231 balls featured 29 boundaries and two maximums. He shared a mammoth partnership of 354 runs with Dega Nischal who scored 195 as Karnataka went past the 600-run mark for the third time this season. Meanwhile, the knock also helped Pandey to surpass his previous best score of 218. He was eventually dismissed for 238.

Meanwhile, another India star who impressed in the Ranji Trophy was Ishant Sharma. The Delhi skipper, who was released by the Indian team, did not take long to make a big impression as he rocked Maharashtra with a sensational spell of 3 for 14 at the Palam A ground in New Delhi. At stumps, Maharashtra were reeling at 59/8, still trailing Delhi  by 360 runs.

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