The Ranji roster

For a change, the Elite Division Ranji Trophy this week wasn8217;t a bore draw. Six of the seven matches held in this round provided a resu...

For a change, the Elite Division Ranji Trophy this week wasn8217;t a bore draw. Six of the seven matches held in this round provided a result; the only draw played out was between Bengal and Gujarat. Interestingly, three teams successfully collected bonus point with impressive individual performances providing the zip. Here8217;s a look at who made the headlines or should have in Round V

KEEPER CONTEST:
Deep Dasgupta and Dinesh Kaarthick

It8217;s a boom time for wicket-keepers who can bat. With MS Dhoni and Parthiv Patel now bound for Pakistan, the tussle back home on the domestic front is also gathering steam. Dasgupta8212;who took over the Bengal captaincy from Sourav Ganguly 8212; and Kaarthick, who lost his Test cap to Dhoni, both struck centuries in their respective Round Five Ranji matches. Dasgupta8217;s 143 resulted in Bengal drawing against Gujarat while Kaarthick8217;s 134 was in a losing cause when Tamil Nadu failed to stand against an aggressive Mumbai side.

MAKING HIS CASE
Wasim Jaffer

With a Test cap further boosting his confidence, Jaffer is giving the selectors enough reason to be satisfied they selected him. After missing the match against Railways, the opener came back more strongly to score a blazing 162 against Tamil Nadu. His 44 in the second innings helped Mumbai successfully chase TN8217;s target and register their first Ranji win of the season

PROVING POTENTIAL
Robin Uthappa

A century in the Challenger series in October was proof of Uthappa8217;s emergence as a batsman on the domestic circuit. His 96 against Maharashtra, which helped Karnataka collect a bonus point, underlined that impression. Uthappa8217;s innings was built on aggression and quick runs, scoring against the pace

THE SPIN OF THINGS
Murali Kartik

Left-arm spin is something that will be missing from the Indian attack in their tour of Pakistan but Murali Kartik is making gainful use of the time available to play domestic cricket. Playing in the derby match against Delhi, he collected eight wickets in 23 overs giving away only 40 runs. Kartik8217;s performance failed to help Railways win but it proved his ability to bowl economical spells

ZAK ON TRACK
Zaheer Khan

A shortened run-up, a good start to the domestic season and then a Test recall. No wonder Zaheer was in the mood to dominate the batting, and duly did so against Punjab. he went into the match a day after his Test recall and ended it with a 10-wicket haul four wickets in the first innings and six in the second to help Baroda win, collect four points and open up a healthy gap at the top of the table.

8212; K. Shriniwas Rao