Ranji Trophy, founded in 1934, is a domestic first-class cricket tournament that is played among several teams in India, thereby representing their regional and state cricket associations. It is held every year. The last edition of the Ranji Trophy which took place in 2022-23 was won by the Saurashtra cricket team. The teams consist of several young players, brimming with talent and the passion to further play for their country. That’s why we have seen some spectacular innings by players. For instance, here I will share the top 10 highest scores by a player in the Ranji Trophy.
1. B. Nimbalkar
The first player to top the list of highest individual scores is B.B. Nimbalkar, who scored 443 runs against Saurashtra in 1948-49. When he came to the crease, his team was at 81/1, but then his monumental knock took the team’s score to 826/4. He is the only player in the history of the Ranji Trophy to hit more than 400 runs. He batted for three straight days and hit 52 fours.
2. Prithvi Shaw
The young boy who is popular for playing for Delhi Capitals, recently secured the second spot in terms of highest individual scores in a Ranji match. He scored 379 runs of 383 balls against Assam in 2022-23. His innings included 49 fours and 4 sixes.
3. Sanjay Manjrekar
The third person on this list is Sanjay Manjrekar. The captain of the Bombay team smashed 377 runs in 473 balls against Hyderabad in 1990-91 at the Wankhede stadium. He batted for ten straight hours and hit 50 fours in his innings. Despite his heroic innings, the match ended in a draw.
4. M.V. Sridhar
The next spot is occupied by M.v. Sridhar, who, while playing for Hyderabad, scored 366 runs against Andhra Pradesh in 1993-94. When he came to the crease, Hyderabad’s score was 30/1, but his innings helped the team reach the declared total of 944/6. But this match, too, ended in a draw.
5. Vijay Merchant
His epic innings of 359 runs came during the final of the Ranji Trophy in 1943-44, at the Brabourne stadium, while playing for Bombay. He scored it in 470 balls. This crucial inning reflected his skills and determination.
6. Vvs Laxman
Next on the list is Vvs Laxman, who scored 353 runs in 560 balls. It came against Karnataka while he was playing for Hyderabad. His innings consisted of 52 fours and a couple of sixes. Though Hyderabad was able to reach a mammoth total of 711/8 (declared), the match resulted in a draw.
7. Cheteshwar Pujara
In 2012-13, during the quarterfinal of the Ranji Trophy, Cheteshwar Pujara scored 352 runs in 427 balls for Saurashtra against Karnataka in Rajkot. He smacked 49 fours and a six in his inning. His innings helped Saurashtra reach the semi-finals.
8. Sunil Gavaskar
Moving on, we have Sunil Gavaskar at the eighth spot, who scored 340 runs for Bombay. It came against Bengal in 1981-82. In total, he had hit 48 fours and a couple of sixes. The match resulted in the Bombay’s victory by an innings and 181 runs.
9. Lokesh Rahul
Widely known as KL Rahul, he occupies the penultimate spot in the list of the top 10 highest individual scores in the Ranji Trophy. He scored 337 runs for Karnataka, which is also the highest individual score for Karnataka. It came against Uttar Pradesh in 2014-15.
10. Ravindra Jadeja
The last person on this list is the famous all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. He scored 331 runs for Saurashtra against Railways. This triple century came on his home ground, Rajkot, in 2012-13. His innings included 29 fours and nine sixes.
