famous School boy Cricketers - Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli, Amol Muzumdar included

Sachin has since retired – still he is in the middle … now media is ripe on his forthcoming book in which he has written about Greg Chappel – that he offered Sachin to lead in WC 2007 … since denied by Greg.  If it were to be a toss to believing one – Sachin’s track record of 24 years – the way he played the game and Greg’s track record – provides only one easy option, that of simply believing Sachin.  But coming as it did on the eve of his book release [and the fact that we have ridiculed other’s making such sensational claims] appears stirring a controversy too late.

In Nov. 2013, close on his retirement, I had posted on young Prithvi Pankaj Shaw – for long the school record was that of Sachin – an unbeaten 326; Vinod Kambli’s 349 and their 664 partnership in a school match – playing for Shardashram Vidyamandir against St Xavier's in Feb 1988; the Xavier’s attack was  led by Sairaj Bahutule. The  was another prodigiously talented Amol Muzumbdar, who played for Andhra, Mumbai and Assam waited patiently not only there but also for National recognition which never came. 

18 years later in Nov 2006 – Kambli, Sachin record was broken when St. Peters High School made 721 without loss in 40 overs against St. Philip’s High School at Hyderabad.   Openers Manoj Kumar and Mohammed Shaibaz, both 13, hit an unbeaten 320 and 324 respectively in the Hyderabad Cricket Association Inter-School Under-13 tournament.  In 2011, another youngster came to limelight…  it was Maharashtra’s middle order leftie – Vijay Hari Zol who was later signed up by RCB too.  In an U19 match for Maharashtra, Zol scored an unbeaten 451 off 467 deliveries, batting for almost eleven hours and hit 53 boundaries and two sixes in that record-breaking innings.

Prithvi Shaw, a 14-year-old from Mumbai, entered the record books after smashing 546 runs - the highest score by an Indian batsman in minor cricket - during a Harris Shield match at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai. Shaw's innings lasted 367 minutes over two days and included a whopping 85 fours and five sixes which helped his team, Rizvi Springfield, take an 899-run first-innings lead in the A division match against St Francis D'Assisi.

A couple of days back, The Hindu reported of the innings of S. Sankruth Sriram who struck a brilliant unbeaten 486 as JSS International School thrashed Hebron School by a whopping 563-run in the Nilgiris District Cricket Association (NDCA) under-16 inter-school cricket tournament for the Azhar Hassan Memorial Rolling Trophy.  The 15-year-old class X student smashed 46 boundaries and 23 sixes on his way to a record score in the three-decade old tournament. “I did not expect to score this big. I started to whack from the very first ball,” said Sankruth, who was also selected to represent the Nilgiris and the combined districts team.

Sankruth shared a record unbroken stand of 605 with S. Dhanush Priyan (70 n.o.) for the opening wicket. Later in the day, Dhanush, an off-spinner, bowled a brilliant spell of 6/22  to bundle out Hebron for a paltry 42.

Not all of them raise to play at National level is  perhaps something anxious parents who push their wards no end to achieve such things should understand.

In International scene,  at least 10 players have made 400 or more…. Topping the list is Brian Lara with 501 not out against Durham in June 1994; followed by Haniff Mohamad’s 499 in 1959 against Bahwalpur; Don Bradman’s 452 n.o against Queensland…. Indian BB Nimbalkar scored 443 n.o against Kathiwar playing for Maharashtra in 1948.  While Brian Lara made unbeaten 400 in a Test in Apr 2004 against England,  the next Indian is Sanjay Manjrekar who made 377 against Hyderabad in Apr 1991 and MV Sridhar of Hyderabad who made 366 against Andhra in Jan 1994.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

5^th Nov 2014

Sankruth Sriram news and photo credit : the Hindu