Ranji Trophy 2017/18: Five best batsmen in the group stages

The group stage games of the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season have come to a dramatic end. Many teams laboured till the final day to obtain a knockout berth. The tournament’s dark horses like Vidarbha, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh have been sensational so far. They steamrolled into the knockout stages courtesy some emphatic round-robin performances. Meanwhile, tournament favourites Mumbai, Gujarat and Punjab fought hard till the very end to earn their tickets to the quarter-finals.

There were a lot of high scoring games; the batsmen made use of the batting-friendly conditions. Three triple-hundreds and nine double-hundreds were scored and to rank this list, we considered players' consistency, runs scored, average, match-winning performances and a lot more to pick five of the best.

There are players like Manish Pandey (Karnataka), Siddhesh Lad (Mumbai), Sanju Samson (Kerala), Ravikumar Samarth (Karnataka), Priyank Panchal (Gujarat) who played exceedingly well but missed out on a spot in the top five.

On that note, let us take a look at the five best batters of the 2017-18 Ranji season in the round-robin phase of the tournament.

#5 Sanjay Ramasamy (Vidarbha)

Sanjay Ramasamy is an unknown quantity amongst Vidarbha circles but is making ripples in this season's Ranji Trophy. The 22-year-old right-handed batsman has scored 665 runs at an impressive average of 95.00 from his eight innings. He has scored three centuries and two fifties from his six first-class matches.

The Varanasi-born starlet started the tournament on a high as he scored a match-winning 161 against Punjab at Mohali. After mediocre performances against Chhattisgarh and Services, he bounced back with another match-winning century. He scored his third hundred against Himachal Pradesh in the last game of the league phase. His consistent performances at the top helped Vidarbha notch outright wins in most of the games, thus earning them a knockout berth.

Sanjay is a much-improved cricketer under the guidance of his coach, Chandrakanth Pandit. Should he continue his golden run in the knockouts too, he will soon attract the attention of the Indian selectors.

#4 Faiz Fazal (Vidarbha)

Faiz Fazal is another Vidarbha batsman who is having a dream Ranji season. His opening partnership with Sanjay has tormented most of the opponents as the duo has notched seven centuries from eight innings. The stylish left-handed batsman has scored 710 runs at a Bradmanesque average of 101.42, including four centuries.

The 32-year-old has put in consistent performances in the Ranji in the past three years. His consistency earned him a One Day International debut for India last year. He scored a brilliant half-century in his only appearance.

Fazal started the tournament on an average note, getting dismissed for a paltry 21 against Punjab. He made amends for his rare failure as he scored 125, 136 and 142 against Chhattisgarh, Services and Bengal respectively in his next three games.

He did not drop his guard in the last match of the league stages either. He scored a quickfire double century against Himachal Pradesh, making a strong statement to the Indian selectors.

#3 Hanuma Vihari (Andhra Pradesh)

Hanuma Vihari is currently in the middle of his most successful domestic season. He has scored 752 runs at an average of 94.00 which includes an unbeaten triple century this season, making him the 2nd leading run-getter.

The 24-year-old right-hand batsman started the tournament on a disappointing note as he scored just 16 runs from his two innings at Chepauk against Tamil Nadu. However, he found some form during the 2nd Ranji match against Baroda.

He amassed 150 runs which helped Andhra push for a win. Vihari then scored an amazing 302 not out from 456 balls against Odisha. The beauty of the innings lies in the fact that he scored 52% of Andhra's first innings score.

He continued his form, scoring three half-centuries in the next three matches.

Vihari is a handy bowler too, having taken three wickets this season.

#2 Anmolpreet Singh (Punjab)

Anmolpreet Singh has been a revelation for Punjab this season. The 19-year-old has been in spectacular form. He has scored 753 runs from his seven innings, including three massive hundreds and a fifty. He converted two of his centuries into doubles, amassing runs at a staggering average of 125.50. What makes his feat all the more special is the fact that this is his debut season.

Despite scoring a half-century on debut, he lost his place in the playing XI for the second game against Vidarbha. He scored a brilliant double century in a CK Nayudu Trophy match against Himachal and earned his place back in the team.

After returning to the team, he scored a century against Goa followed by a double century against Chhattisgarh. The rocking start to his career even earned him a place in the Board President’s XI. Though he did not get a chance to bat, he was part of the team. It showed the faith the selectors have in this starlet.

Anmolpreet scored another century, against Services. Despite being the third highest run-getter in the tournament, he couldn't help Punjab qualify for the knockouts. Nevertheless, a sensational debut season for the youngster.

#1 Mayank Agarwal (Karnataka)

Mayank Agarwal has attracted everyone's attention this Ranji Trophy season. He has scored a record-breaking 1064 runs with an unbelievable average of 133.00. He is easily the best player of this season's Ranji Trophy.

Agarwal has hit five centuries this season which includes a mighty triple century. His rich vein of form has helped Karnataka qualify for the knockout stages with ease.

The 26-year-old right-hand batsman started the tournament on a disastrous note as he scored 31, 0 and 0 in his first two games. When his place in the team was being questioned, he rose to the occasion, scoring a match-winning triple hundred which helped Karnataka beat Maharashtra by an innings and 136 runs.

Mayank stood at the crease for 727 minutes and ate up a remarkable 494 balls to score his maiden triple hundred. He went on to score four 100s and a ninety in his next six innings.

It's just a matter of time before he gets an Indian call-up.