Manoj Tiwari scored a crucial 60* knock in the second innings of the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 match against Uttar Pradesh to guide Bengal to a six-wicket win on Friday, December 16. But the veteran batter also hinted at retirement at the end of the current domestic season. Manoj said that he wants to give Bengal a Ranji Trophy title on his way out.

Also Read: Ranji Trophy 2022-23: Chhattisgarh beat Pondicherry in Ranji Trophy as Ajay Mondal registers career-best bowling figure

Bengal reached the semi-finals of the last edition of the Ranji Trophy tournament but lost to Madhya Pradesh. They last won the tournament in 1989-90. Moreover, they have played in the three finals during the 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2019-20 seasons.

Tiwari was part of all three lost finals but now has expressed his desire to win the title for Bengal this season. He said that his team must take the game to the next level.

"We have to play like champions. We won today, but it's not like we played exceptional cricket. If we look session-by-session, there were phases when we bowled badly. And our opening batters must score runs. If we want to win the Ranji Trophy, we must take our game to the next level," Tiwari said to reporters after the match as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

"I am quite relaxed about leading the team" – Manoj Tiwari

The 37-year-old batter led the team in the absence of regular captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has joined India's Test squad on the Bangladesh tour. Tiwari also expressed his feeling about leading the team once again after three seasons. Tiwari said that he has to take responsibility in Easwaran's absence and he is relaxed about it.

"I am quite relaxed about leading the team. When I stepped down as the first-class captain of Bengal , I was told to continue as captain of the one-day and T20 sides, but I had refused, telling them that we need to groom a younger player as captain. But in Abhimanyu's absence, I realised I have to take this responsibility because decision-making is such a crucial part of the game."

Tiwari added

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Tiwari has been a stalwart for Bengal in domestic cricket with over 15000 runs. Meanwhile, he has also appeared for India in 15 white-ball matches and scored one hundred and a fifty (both in ODIs). However, he was not able to cement a regular place in the national team. But, he has enjoyed good success in domestic cricket with Bengal.

Tilak Varma has etched himself in history to become the first Indian batter to hit 150 runs in T20 cricket. The 22-year-old youngster has smashed a staggering 151 off just 67 balls for his domestic side Hyderabad against Meghalaya on Saturday in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024. 

The left-handed batter has surpassed Shreyas Iyer's record of scoring 147 which was by far the highest individual score by any Indian batsman in T20 cricket. Shreyas scored his 147 off just 55 balls for Mumbai against Sikkim in the same tournament in 2019. 

Tilak Varma has now clinched the top spot and also becomes only the 12th batter to record a 150+ score in T20s. 

The 22-year-old is the captain of his domestic side Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and he came out to bat in no. 3. Tilak's half-century came off 28 balls, and he went on to complete his ton off just 51 balls. Tilak built his scorching innings with 14 fours and 10 sixes and maintained a strike rate of 225.37. 

Another record 

However, Tilak Varma has made an international T20 record as well, as he becomes the first-ever batter in the world to score three consecutive tons. The left-handed youngster was named as the Player of The Series in India's recent T20 series victory against South Africa. Tilak scored back-to-back hundreds against South Africa and now in 10 days, he has scored three tons and stormed into the history books.

🚨 𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝘼𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙩 🚨

Tilak Varma 🤝 Record-breaking Feat! 🔝 🙌

Congratulations! 👏 👏#TeamIndia | #SMAT pic.twitter.com/4BnLFZzRRf

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) November 23, 2024

Highest individual score by Indian batters in T20s

• Tilak Varma (Hyderabad) – 151 (67) vs Meghalaya, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024
• Shreyas Iyer (Mumbai) – 147 (55) vs Sikkim, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 
• Punit Bisht (Meghalaya) – 146* (51) vs Mizroam, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021
• Mohammed Azharuddeen (Kerala) – 137* (54) vs Mumbai, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 
• Prithvi Shaw (Mumbai) – 134 (61) vs Assam, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022 

Indian pacer Mohammed Shami has been named in the Bengal squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024. Shami, who played his first match in 360 days in the Ranji Trophy game against Madhya Pradesh, will boost Bengal's chances in the tournament.

Sudip Kumar Gharami, who was Bengal's captain in the white-ball format last season, has been named as the captain of the squad for this season as well. 

In the 20-men squad, Bengal has named three wicket-keepers for the tournament. Abishek Porel, who recently toured Australia for the India-A team, will continue as the main man behind the stumps. Meantime, Shakir Habib Gandhi and Agniv Pan will be the other keeper-batters of the team. Interestingly, all three wicket-keepers of the squad are left-handed batters, giving coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla a few options to play with in the batting order.

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Sudip Chatterjee, who came back from Tripura to rejoin his home state, will continue as one of the top-order batters for Bengal. The left-handed batter has done well in the Ranji Trophy this season and will be a key player for Bengal in the white-ball format as well. Ranjot Singh Khaira and Sudip Gharami will be the top-order batters for them this time.

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Ritwick Roy Chowdhury, one of the best white-ball finishers for Bengal, along with all-rounders Shahbaz Ahmed, Karan Lal, Writtick Chatterjee and Saksham Chaudhary will be key clog for Laxmi Ratan Shukla and team management. Ritwick and Shaksham will be the pace bowling all-rounders of the team, while Karan, Writtick and Shahbaz will be the spinner all-rounders.

In the absence of Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep, Ishan Porel, Mohammed Kaif, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Sayan Ghosh and Kanishk Seth will share the load of bowling those crucial overs along with new names like Soummyadip Mandal. The inclusion of U-23 captain Prayas Ray Barman means there will be enough variations while defending totals as well.

Bengal is placed in Group A alongside Punjab, Hyderabad, Mizoram, MP, Meghalaya, Bihar, and Rajasthan. 

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Bengal squad for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024

Sudip Kr Gharami (captain), Mohammad Shami, Abishek Porel (WK), Sudip Chatterjee, Shahbaz Ahmed, Karan Lal, Writtick Chatterjee, Ritwick Roy Chowdhury, Shakir Habib Gandhi (WK), Ranjot Singh Khaira, Prayas Ray Barman, Agniv Pan (WK), Pradipta Pramanik, Saksham Chaudhary, Ishan Porel, Md Kaif, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Sayan Ghosh, Kanishk Seth, Soummyadip Mandal.

Bengal's schedule in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024

• 23 November' 24 - Bengal vs Punjab - Rajkot - 4.30 pm
• 25 November 2024 - Bengal vs Hyderabad - Rajkot - 4.30 pm
• 27 November 2024 - Bengal vs Mizoram - Saurashtra - 9 am  
• 29 November 2024 - Bengal vs Madhya Pradesh - Saurashtra - 1.30 pm
• 1 December 2024 - Bengal vs Meghalaya - Rajkot - 11 am
• 3 December 2024 - Bengal vs Bihar - Saurashtra - 9 am 
• 5 December 2024 - Bengal vs Rajasthan - Rajkot - 11 am

The fifth-round matches of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season are on the way. With a few matches coming to conclusions, there are still a few fighting for results. However, at the end of 19 matches in the Elite and Plate groups, here are the top performers of the fifth round.

1. Anshul Kamboj | 10/49

Registering the top bowling performance, Anshul Kamboj achieved a rare feat in the match between Haryana and Kerala at Lahli, becoming only the third bowler in the tournament’s 90-year history to claim all 10 wickets in an innings. He took 10 wickets in the first inning, conceding 49 runs. He bowled 9 maidens over with an economy of 1-6. 

Also Read: Anshul Kamboj takes 10 wickets in an inning: Who were the bowlers to achieve this feat in Ranji Trophy?

2. Snehal Kauthankar | 314* Runs

Snehal Kauthankar not only stands as the best performer but also became the batter who smashed the second-fastest triple ton by an Indian in just 205 balls. He did this feat during the match against Arunachal Pradesh in the Round 5 plate group match in Porvorim. Kauthankar now stands third on the all-time First Class list, with only South Africa’s Marco Marais standing between him and Agarwal with a 191-ball triple ton for Border against Eastern Province in 2017-18.

3. Kashyap Bakle | 300* Runs

The Goa batter Kashyap Bakle scored 300 runs off 269 balls, an innings laced with 39 fours and two sixes in the same match where Snehal Kauthankar also smashed a triple ton. It was the third-fastest triple ton by an Indian in First-Class cricket. His strike rate has been decent throughout, maintaining 111.52.

Also Read: Fastest Triple Hundreds in Ranji Trophy

4. Mahipal Lomror | 300* Runs

The Rajasthan batter Mahipal Lomror scored a gritty 300* runs off 360 balls, with 38 boundaries against Uttarakhand. His strike rate has been decent throughout, maintaining 83.33.

5. Gaurav Yadav | 5/133

A standout bowling performance from Puducherry's Gaurav Yadav included 5 wickets for 133 runs in 36 overs and 4 maidens with an economy of 3.7.

6. Ayush Badoni | 205* Runs

Delhi batter Ayush Badoni scored a double century during day four of his side’s Ranji Trophy 2024/25 round five match against Jharkhand. Badoni completed the double ton in just 216 deliveries, hitting 16 fours and 10 sixes on the way. 

7. Ravi Kiran | 5/59

Chhattisgarh bowler Ravi Kiran shines with a stellar performance - A brilliant 5-wicket haul in the first innings against Assam. He also claimed his 7th five-wicket haul in First-Class cricket, marking his second consecutive fifer of this season.

Haryana fast bowler Anshul Kamboj created history in Ranji Trophy 2024-25 round five match in Rohtak on Friday. He became the third bowler to take all 10 wickets in an innings in Ranji Trophy. This 23-year-old bowler achieved this feat in the Group C match against Kerala. He took ten wickets for 49 runs in 30.1 overs.

Anshul took the first wicket in the form of Baba Aparajith. Baba continued walking towards zero. After this Anshul took wickets at regular intervals. He did not allow 5 batsmen to cross double figures, while for Kerala, Akshay Chandran scored 59 runs, Azharuddeen scored 53 runs and captain Sachin Baby scored 52 runs.

Also Read: Fastest Triple Hundreds in Ranji Trophy

Apart from Anshul, Aman Kumar gave 76 runs in 27 overs for Haryana, while Nishant Sindhu gave 43 runs in 17 overs. Sumit Kumar conceded 57 runs in 17 overs and Jayant Yadav conceded 56 runs in 25 overs, but could not take wickets. However, despite Anshul's disaster, the Kerala team scored 291 runs in 116.1 overs.

Bowlers to achieve this feat in Ranji Trophy before Anshul 

Before Anshul, Bengal's Premangsu Chatterjee (10 wickets for 20 runs, Bengal vs Assam, 1956) and Rajasthan's Pradeep Sunderam (10 wickets for 78 runs, Rajasthan vs Vidarbha, 1985) had achieved this feat.

Premangsu Chatterjee played domestic cricket for Bengal. He achieved this feat in the Ranji Trophy 1956/57. In the match played against Assam in Jorhat, he took 10 wickets for 20 runs in 19 overs. This is the best performance of any Indian bowler in first-class cricket. However, he did not get a chance to play for India.

On the other hand, fast bowler Pradeep Sunderam used to play domestic cricket for Rajasthan. He took all 10 wickets in the innings against Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy itself. In the match played in Jodhpur in the 1985/86 season, he dismissed 10 batsmen for 78 runs. Pradeep also could not play for India.

Also Read: Rajat Patidar smashes third fastest century in Ranji Trophy history

Indian Bowlers to take 10 wickets in a first-class innings 

Overall, Anshul also has become the sixth Indian bowler to take 10 wickets in first-class cricket. Before him, Anil Kumble, Subhash Gupte, and Debasis Mohanty have done this.

Anshul completed 50 wickets

Fast bowler Anshul needed only two wickets to achieve this feat before the start of the third day's play. He registered his name in the record books by taking the wickets of Basil Thampi and Shoun Roger. With his brilliant bowling, Haryana bowled out Kerala for 291 runs in the first innings. During this period, Anshul also completed 50 wickets in first-class cricket.

Anshul played for the Mumbai Indians

Notably, Anshul was a part of Mumbai Indians in the IPL last season. He played 3 matches for the franchise while managing to take 2 wickets. The mega auction is scheduled to take place before IPL 2025. Now it remains to be seen whether after this performance Mumbai will once again bet on him or not.

It is very difficult for any batsman to score a triple century in a cricket match, but on the second day of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match between Goa and Arunachal Pradesh, not one but two batsmen have created a great record of scoring a triple century. Goa batter Snehal Kauthankar and Kashyap Bakle remained unbeaten on 314* and 314* respectively. Together these two batsmen hit 6 sixes and 84 fours. Goa declared its innings by scoring a huge score of 727 runs in the first innings.

Also Read: Most double-centuries in first-class cricket

Here are the top 5 batsmen who smashed fastest triple hundreds in the history of Ranji Trophy.

Ranji Trophy | Fastest Triple Hundreds

1. Tanmay Agarwal vs Arunachal Pradesh (2023/24) | 147 Balls

Hyderabad batter Tanmay Agarwal bashed an unbeaten 323 off just 160 balls against Arunachal Pradesh during their Plate Group game in the Ranji Trophy 2023-24. Tanmay took 147 balls to complete his triple century. It is the fastest-recorded triple ton in the history of first-class cricket by balls taken, breaking the record held by Marco Marais off 191 balls for Border against Eastern Province in 2017.

Agarwal also shattered a 39-year-old record held by Indian legend Ravi Shastri along the way by also scoring the fastest double-hundred in first-class cricket in 119 deliveries.

2. Snehal Kauthankar vs Arunachal Pradesh (2024/25) | 205 Balls

Snehal Kauthankar scored a triple century in just 205 balls during a Ranji Trophy plate group match between Goa and Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday. This is the second fastest triple century in the history of Indian first-class cricket. The 29-year-old Kauthankar went past his previous best of 250 from last week’s game against Mizoram and reached his maiden triple hundred.

Kauthankar now stands third on the all-time First Class list, with only South Africa’s Marco Marais standing between him and Agarwal with a 191-ball triple ton for Border against Eastern Province in 2017-18.

3. Kashyap Bakle vs Arunachal Pradesh (2024/25) | 269 Balls

Kashyap Bakle brought up his triple hundred from 269 deliveries, an innings laced with 39 fours and two sixes in the same match where Snehal Kauthankar also smashed a triple ton. It was the third-fastest triple ton by an Indian in First-Class cricket.  Bakle and Kauthankar also became only the second pair in First Class history to record a 600-plus partnership with their unbroken 606* in only 448 balls, bettering the Ranji Trophy record.

4. Kedar Jadhav vs Uttar Pradesh (2012) | 285 Balls

Kedar Jadhav slammed a 285-ball triple century for Maharashtra against Uttar Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy clash in Pune in November 2012. Jadhav came in to bat at No. 4 and played a terrific knock. The right-handed batter ended up scoring 327 off just 312 balls against Uttar Pradesh. His 524-minute stay at the crease saw him strike 54 fours and two sixes. Jadhav’s exceptional innings ended when he was stumped off Piyush Chawla’s bowling.

5. Punit Bisht vs Sikkim (2018/19) | 291 Balls

Meghalaya keeper-batter Punit Bisht hammered a triple hundred off 291 balls in a Ranji Trophy match against Sikkim in Bhubaneswar in the 2018-19 season. After Meghalaya won the toss and fielded first, their bowlers did a great job of restricting Sikkim to 219 despite Milind Kumar’s 117. Bisht then scored a superb triple ton as Meghalaya responded with 826/7 declared.

Coming in at No. 4, Bisht struck 343 off 332 balls, slamming 53 fours and a six. He featured in a mammoth 433-run stand for the third wicket with Raj Biswa (175) and added 161 for the fourth wicket with Yogesh Nagar (148).