If you weren’t keeping an eye on the Vijay Hazare Trophy this Monday, you missed a serious clinic in pace bowling. Maharashtra’s Ramakrishna Ghosh just etched his name into the history books with a performance that’ll be talked about for a long time.
Playing against Himachal Pradesh in Jaipur, the 28-year-old right-arm quick didn’t just lead the attack, he dismantled it. Ghosh finished with staggering figures of 7/42 in 9.4 overs, becoming only the 12th player in the tournament’s history to take seven wickets or more in a single game.
The Early Damage
Ghosh set the tone right from the jump. He was a man on a mission in his opening spell, tearing through the Himachal top-order like they weren’t even there. Within the first seven overs, he’d already sent four batsmen back to the pavilion. When a pacer finds that kind of rhythm early on, you just know it’s going to be a special day.
Himachal Pradesh eventually managed to scrape together 271, but that was largely thanks to some middle-order resistance. However, any hopes they had of a late-innings flourish were extinguished when Ghosh returned. He cleaned up the tail to secure his maiden List A five-wicket haul, then added two more for good measure to finish with seven.
Consistency is Key
The thing about Ghosh is that this isn’t just a ‘one-off’ flash in the pan. He’s been knocking on the door all season. He started the VHT 2025-26 campaign with solid three-wicket hauls against both Sikkim and Punjab. This seven-wicket haul feels like the natural climax of a bowler who has finally found his groove.
The CSK Connection
It’s no surprise that the talent scouts in Chennai have been smiling. Chennai Super Kings picked him up in the 2025 IPL auction, and they clearly liked what they saw, retaining him for the upcoming 2026 season. If he carries this kind of form into the IPL, MS Dhoni (or whoever is leading the ship) is going to have a very potent weapon at their disposal.
Joining the Elite
While Ghosh’s 7/42 is legendary, he’s still got a tiny bit of climbing to do to reach the absolute peak. Only two bowlers have ever managed eight wickets in a VHT game: Arpit Guleria (8/50 in 2023) and the record-holder Shahbaz Nadeem, who pulled off those ridiculous figures of 8/10 back in 2018.
Still, being 12th on a list that spans decades of Indian domestic cricket? That’s massive. Maharashtra has a genuine match-winner on their hands.