His wonderful Ranji season followed an impressive showing in the 2007–08 Duleep Trophy, where he scored 172 against an England Lions attack comprising Graham Onions, Monty Panesar, Steve Kirby and Liam Plunkett
His 600th wicket was Chandrakant Pandit, caught at deep squareleg in the Ranji semifinal against Bombay in 1983-84.
The competition is named after England and Sussex cricketer Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji (Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, also known as "Ranji").
It was built by the Gohil Emperor Ranji Gohil and was ruled by the Parmar clan of Rajputs and by King Halaji Parmar, a Muslim king, who separated from the Muli Princely State in Surendranagar district and converted his religion from Hindu to Muslim.
Three of his books have been short-listed for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award: Ranji: A Genius Rich and Strange (1990), Letting Rip: The Fast Bowling Threat from Lillee to Waqar (1994) and Shane Warne: Portrait of a Flawed Genius (2007).
The team finished as runners-up behind Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons establishing themselves as one of the strongest teams in the country.
He continued playing for Hyderabad for many years, making the final of the 1999–2000 Ranji Trophy.