1943–44 Ranji Trophy

{{Infobox cricket tournament

| name = 1943–44 Ranji Trophy

| image = Ranji_trophy.jpg

| imagesize = 350px

| caption = The Ranji Trophy

| administrator = BCCI

| cricket format = First-class

| tournament format = Knockout

| fromdate =

| todate =

| champions = Western India

| count = 1

| participants = 19

| matches = 18

| attendance =

| player of the series =

| most runs = Vijay Merchant (Bombay) (553){{cite web|title=Ranji Trophy, 1943/44 / Records / Most runs |url-access=subscription |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/1/Ranji_Trophy_1943-44/Batting_by_Runs.html|access-date=23 August 2014}}

| most wickets = Saeed Ahmed (Western India) (28){{cite web|title=Ranji Trophy, 1943/44 / Records / Most wickets |url-access=subscription |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/1/Ranji_Trophy_1943-44/Bowling_by_Wickets.html|access-date=23 August 2014}}

| website =

| previous_year = 1942–43

| previous_tournament = 1942–43 Ranji Trophy

| next_year = 1944–45

| next_tournament = 1944–45 Ranji Trophy

}}

The 1943–44 Ranji Trophy was the tenth season of the Ranji Trophy. Western India won their only title defeating Bengal in the final.

This season could be considered as the arbitrary starting point of high scoring in Indian domestic cricket that would last till the end of the decade. In the final of the Bombay Pentangular in early December 1943, Vijay Merchant and Vijay Hazare scored 250* and 309. It was the prelude to Merchant setting a new Ranji and Indian first class record of 359* for Bombay against Maharashtra between 31 December 1943, and 2 January 1944, at the Brabourne Stadium in Bombay.

Highlights

The Bombay-Maharashtra match[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/17/17402.html Bombay v Maharashtra, Brabourne Stadium] set several national records.

:* Bombay made 735, the highest score in Indian first class cricket bettering 703 by Bengal Cyclone XI in 1942-43.[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/17/17381.html Bijapur Famine XI v Bengal Cyclone XI, 1942-43] The previous Ranji record was 675 by Maharashtra v Bombay in 1940-41[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/17/17277.html Maharashtra v Bombay 1940-41]

:* Vijay Merchant's 359* was the highest individual score in India. Vijay Hazare's 316* for Maharashtra v Baroda in 1939-40 was the previous Ranji and first class record.[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/17/17258.html Maharashtra v Baroda, 1939-40]

:* Merchant and Rusi Modi's partnership of 371 was a national record for the sixth wicket. As of 2014, it is bettered only by 417 between Wridhiman Saha and Laxmi Ratan Shukla for Bengal v Assam in 2010-11[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/297/297591.html Bengal v Assam, 2010-11]

Vijay Merchant's season batting average of 276.50 is the highest by any batsman scoring over 500 runs.
Herbert Barritt captained Western India to the title. He was the third Englishman to captain a Ranji winning team, after Bert Wensley of Nawanagar in 1936-37 and Tom Longfield of Bengal in 1938–39.

Zonal Matches

= West Zone =

{{Round8

| seed-width = 25px

| team-width = 150px

| score-width = 80px

|||||

|skipmatch01=no|skipmatch02=no|skipmatch03=no|skipmatch04=yes

|RD1 = Round 1|RD2 = Round 2|RD3 = Round 3}}

=East Zone=

{{Round4

| seed-width = 25px

| team-width = 150px

| score-width = 80px

|RD1 = Round 1|RD2 = Round 2}}

= North Zone =

{{Round8

| seed-width = 25px

| team-width = 175px

| score-width = 80px

|||||

|||||

|RD1 = Round 1|RD2 = Round 2|RD3 = Round 3}}

= South Zone =

{{Round4

| seed-width = 25px

| team-width = 175px

| score-width = 80px

|RD1 = Round 1|RD2 = Round 2}}

Inter-Zonal Knockout matches

{{Round4

| seed-width = 25px

| team-width = 150px

| score-width = 80px

}}

Final

{{Test match

| date = 7-10 Apr 1944 (timeless match)

| team1 = Bengal

| team2 = Western India

| score-team1-inns1 = 234 (130.2 overs)

| runs-team1-inns1 = Asoke Chatterjee 68

| wickets-team1-inns1 = Shantilal Gandhi 6/50

| score-team2-inns1 = 433 (153.5 overs)

| runs-team2-inns1 = G. Kishenchand 111

| wickets-team2-inns1 = B.K. Mitra 4/80

| score-team1-inns2 = 176 (79.2 overs)

| runs-team1-inns2 = Nirmal Chatterjee 71

| wickets-team1-inns2 = Saeed Ahmed 4/23

| result = Western India won by an innings and 23 runs

| venue = Brabourne Stadium, Bombay

| umpires = M.G. Bhave and D.K. Naik

| report = [https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/17/17423.html Scorecard]

| toss = Bengal won the toss and elected to bat

| rain =

| notes = The match was played on a neutral ground
The trophy was presented by Sir Homi Mody, the President of the Cricket Club of India

}}

Summary of first ten seasons

File:Ranji Trophy Teams 1934-35 to 1943-44.jpg

File:Ranji Trophy Results 1934-35 to 1943-44.jpg

Scorecards and averages

[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/1/Ranji_Trophy_1943-44.html CricketArchive]

References

Category:1943 in Indian cricket

Category:1944 in Indian cricket

Category:Ranji Trophy seasons

Category:Domestic cricket competitions in 1943–44