On Monday, February 19, Railways made history by achieving the highest run-chase success rate in the Ranji Trophy. In their last league match of the season, they defeated Tripura handily at Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium in Agartala, winning by five wickets.
Tripura was bowled out for 149 runs while batting first. But their bowlers were outstanding, and they helped the side get ahead by 44 runs. Tripura showed off his bat in the second inning, scoring 333 runs and putting up a target of 378 runs. After then, the Railways upset Tripura with a batting masterclass to win.
But their pursuit didn’t get off to a great start. With their score cut to 31/3, the visitors appeared to be in serious trouble. But Pratham Singh, who opened the innings with 169* runs, proved to be the difference-maker. With 106 runs to his credit, Mohammad Saif provided him with strong support. Following his removal, Arindam Ghosh produced an incredible 40-run cameo. Railways made history by tracking down 378 runs and putting their names in the books, thanks to their hard work.
Their effort would leave Tripura feeling let down. They were in complete control of the game at 31/3, but they were unable to take out Pratham and Saif, who went on to steal the game from them.
Notably, Saurashtra previously held the record for the most successful run chase in Ranji Trophy history. They broke the mark that Assam had previously held by chasing down 372 against Uttar Pradesh in the 2019–20 season.
In the meantime, Railways did not advance past the group stages of the current Ranji Trophy 2024, despite their historic victory. After seven games, they have accumulated 24 points. At the moment, Tamil Nadu leads the Ranji Trophy Elite Three-Point Standings, closely followed by Gujarat and Karnataka.
The most successful run chase in the history of the Ranji Trophy:
Run | Team | Against | Edition |
378/5 | Railways | Tripura | 2024 |
372/4 | Saurashtra | Uttar Pradesh | 2019-20 |
371/4 | Assam | Services | 2008-09 |
360/4 | Rajasthan | Vidarbha | 1989-90 |
359/4 | Uttar Pradesh | Maharashtra | 2021-22 |