India’s Test cricketers returned to domestic action in the opening round of the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asked available players to feature for their state teams.With India preparing for a two-Test tour of New Zealand, the matches offered players an opportunity to build form, but the results were mixed.While KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan and Sarfaraz Khan struggled with the bat, Ravindra Jadeja delivered an impressive all-round performance for Saurashtra.Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar also contributed to their teams’ campaigns.
Jadeja shines as several batters struggle
KL Rahul: Playing for Karnataka against Andhra Pradesh in Vijayawada, India’s Test vice-captain scored four runs in the first innings and one in the second.Yashasvi Jaiswal: The Mumbai opener was dismissed for a duck off 13 balls by Jagjit Singh against Chandigarh. Mumbai, however, won by an innings and 155 runs to collect seven points.Sai Sudharsan: Representing Tamil Nadu against Rajasthan in Jaipur, the left-hander was bowled by Chetan Sharma for three runs off 10 deliveries.Ravindra Jadeja: The Saurashtra all-rounder made the biggest impact, scoring 102 off 209 balls against Chhattisgarh while batting at No. 5. He also claimed three wickets for 40 runs in 17 overs in the first innings.Sarfaraz Khan: Playing for Mumbai against Chandigarh, Sarfaraz managed just one run from six balls.Washington Sundar: After being withdrawn from India’s T20I squad to play in the Ranji Trophy, Sundar took two wickets in Tamil Nadu’s first innings against Rajasthan. He then scored an unbeaten 26 at No. 7.
Siraj, Shami and other bowlers contribute
Mohammed Siraj: Leading Hyderabad against Tripura, Siraj took two wickets for 19 runs in the second innings after going wicketless in the first. Hyderabad won by an innings and 40 runs inside three days.Gurnoor Brar: Playing for Punjab against Assam in New Chandigarh, the fast bowler claimed two wickets for 85 runs in 23 overs in the first innings.Manav Suthar: Rajasthan’s captain scored 17 off 60 balls at No. 7 against Tamil Nadu but failed to take a wicket in the first innings.Akash Deep: The Bengal pacer took two wickets for 74 runs in 17 overs against Delhi. Mohammed Shami claimed four wickets in the first innings, while Mukesh Kumar went wicketless.Saransh Jain: Playing for Madhya Pradesh against Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar, Jain failed to score in the first innings and did not take a wicket in the opposition’s first innings.Auqib Nabi Dar: The Jammu and Kashmir pacer, who was the leading wicket-taker in last season’s Ranji Trophy, claimed one wicket for 42 runs in 20 overs in the first innings against Madhya Pradesh. He added two more wickets in the second innings on Day 3.India Test captain Shubman Gill and wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel did not feature for Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, respectively.Rishabh Pant missed Delhi’s match due to injury, while Devdutt Padikkal was with India A for the one-day series against Australia A.Auqib, meanwhile, is set to travel to New Zealand with India A later this month.
