Gujarat spinner Siddharth Desai claimed nine wickets for 36 runs on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy match against Uttarakhand on January 23. Desai’s first wicket came in the fifth over when he dismissed Priyanshu Khanduri. He followed up by removing Uttarakhand’s captain, Ravikumar Samarth, and Yuvraj Choudhary in the space of four balls. This remarkable spell helped Desai to a nine-wicket haul by the end of the day.
He broke the previous record of 8-21 set by Jasubhai Motibhai Patel in the 1960-61 season against Saurashtra. Desai's performance now stands as the third-best bowling figure in Ranji Trophy history. Haryana’s Anshul Kamboj holds the record with a ten-wicket haul against Kerala earlier this season.
Who is Siddharth Desai?
Siddharth Desai made his first-class debut for Gujarat in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy on October 14, 2017. He marked his debut with a five-wicket haul in the second innings and was named the man of the match.
In October 2018, Desai finished as the top wicket-taker in the 2018 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup, claiming 18 wickets in five matches. The following month, he was recognized as one of the eight players to watch in the 2018–19 Ranji Trophy.
In December 2018, Desai was included in India’s squad for the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. During the group stage of the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy, he was Gujarat’s leading wicket-taker with 23 wickets in six matches. Desai was again named in India’s squad for the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Bangladesh.