Ranji Trophy: Delhi's Rishabh Pant hammers 308 off 326 balls, creates record

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New Delhi, Oct 16: Delhi's Rishabh Pant hammered 308 off 326 balls to create history in Ranji Trophy match against Maharashtra here on Sunday (Oct 16).

Match scorecard

Batting at a strike rate of 94.5, the 19-year-old smashed nine sixes and 42 fours on the way to his maiden triple hundred, in his fourth first class game.

With his 514-minute long innings, Pant scripted history by becoming the youngest wicketkeeper to score a triple century in first class cricket in the world.

The southpaw is also the third youngest Indian to score a triple-century in first-class cricket, after Wasim Jaffer and Abhinav Mukund. After Jaffer, Mukund and Javed Miandad Pant has become fourth youngest batsman in the world to score a triple hundred.

Earlier this match witnessed a mammoth 594-run-partnership between Maharashtra's Swapnil Gugale (351*) and Ankit Bawne (258*) for the third wicket.

(Swapnil Gugale-Ankit Bawne set Ranji Trophy record with 594-run partnership)

The duo rewrote record books and came very close to erasing Sri Lankan legends Mahela Jayawardene-Kumar Sangakkara's world mark of 624-run-stand in the Ranji Trophy match.

The duo could have carried on but the 25-year-old Gugale put team before personal milestones as he declared the innings at 635/2 in 173 overs.

Earlier on Saturday (Oct 15), Pant notched up his second first class century, a strokeful and unbeaten 155, to keep Delhi in the hunt for the first innings lead against Maharashtra.

This was the first match in Ranji Trophy when three players scored 250+ scores.

After his dismissal in the last session, Delhi fell short of the first innings lead by 45 runs, giving Maharashtra the three points.

The left-handed Pant, who kept wickets for Delhi for almost two days during Maharashtra's massive first innings total, came in to bat when his side was in trouble at 135 for 3 and remained unconquered in a close of play tally of 376 for 5.

Pant, who had represented the country in the last Under 19 World Cup in Bangladesh, batted in an aggressive fashion to strike 6 sixes and 21 fours off the 165 balls he faced till stumps on day three of the four-day match at the Wankhede Stadium.

OneIndia News

(With inputs from agencies)