Ranji Trophy talents ignored; 4 domestic stars who deserve a place in India Test set-up

Rinku Singh in Ranji Trophy- (Source: @Sportstar/X.com)

On Wednesday, November 26, Indian Test cricket hit rock bottom after a 0-2 whitewash at home against South Africa. A lot of areas need to be fixed before India's upcoming Test challenge, and the selectors should be daring enough to make changes before it's too late to make changes.

Notably, India are still in contention to finish in the top 2 of the WTC 2025-2027 cycle and should turn their eye towards deserving Ranji Trophy candidates. The two-time finalists will next play Test after a long time, and this article will shed light on key Ranji Trophy talents who deserve a place in the Indian team. 

1. Smaran Ravichandran

The 22-year-old talent has taken the internet by storm as the southpaw is one of the leading wicket-takers in the Ranji Trophy 2025. The Karnataka-based cricketer has scored 595 runs in just five Tests. 

Samaran has averaged 119, and his Ranji tally features a double hundred and a century as well. 

Not just Ranji Trophy, but overall, Ravichandran is doing great in other formats as well and has amassed 415 runs in 10 innings, averaging 69.17. Thus, the 22-year-old deserves a chance to earn a place in the Indian team and can be a great option in the struggling middle-order. 

2. Auqib Nabi

The 29-year-old Auqib Nabi is the new talk of the town as the right-arm seamer has raised the standards of Jammu & Kashmir cricket. For the unversed, Nabi is in high demand because of his recent heroics in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26. The right-arm seamer has taken 29 wickets in nine innings, which includes three five-wicket hauls. Most importantly, Nabi can also bat and scored 146 runs in seven innings, which includes a fifty. 

Nabi's performance has actually lifted Jammu & Kashmir in the ongoing edition as the side from the north is placed second on the table behind Mumbai. J&K have 20 points in five games and suffered a solitary defeat in the tournament.

Auqib can be a great addition to India's struggling bowling unit.

3. Rinku Singh

India are also struggling in the middle-order and need to have a batter like Rinku Singh, who is proving his mettle in red-ball cricket with performance in every Ranji Trophy match.

The left-handed batter has played just two matches and scored 341 runs, averaging a whopping 341, which is the highest for any player in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025. The 28-year-old has scored 176 (247) and also an unbeaten knock of 165 (273).

4. Tanush Kotian

The 27-year-old has proved his mettle in red-ball cricket for a good long time now. Kotian can be a like-to-like replacement for R Ashwin in the team and also add more batting depth in the team. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025, the 27-year-old has taken seven wickets in four innings and also amassed 38 runs in two innings. 

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