A Chiliad of Runs in a Single Knock to Obliterate a 116 Year-Old Cricket Record

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In the first week of 2016 a 15-year-old Indian schoolboy batsman from Maharashtra state, Pranav Dhanawade, scored an unbelievable 1009 not out in a single innings playing for KC Gandhi English School in an inner-school competition — a world record for officially recognised games of cricket at any level🅥. Dhanawade’s staggering achievement—scored off just a mere 327 balls with 129 fours and 59 sixes (870 runs in boundaries alone)—eclipsed and completely destroyed the 116-y-o schoolboy record of 13-y-o AEJ Collins: 628 runs, also undefeated, accumulated in an innings spread over four afternoons on the junior cricket field at Clifton College in Bristol, UK, in 1899🅧.

The two scorecards: Collins (L) & Dhanawade (R)

Instantly young Pranav achieved name and face recognition across all-India and made headline news wherever cricket is seriously followed in the world. Indian cricketing icons Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni sent their congratulations, the state government picked up the tab for the boy’s future educational and coaching expenses and he was universally lauded.

The new record-holder

While Dhanawade’s accomplishment with the bat was phenomenal by any yardstick, some context and some caveats should be acknowledged. The opposition team from Arya Gurukul School was weakened by the absence of its U-16 XI players who had to sit senior exams at the same time. Consequently the Arya Gurukul coach was forced to field boys as young as 12 who were not experienced at playing with hard red balls. Another qualifying factor was the “ground” itself.  At some parts the boundaries were only 30 yards from the wicket! (Collins’ marathon stint also took place on a shortened playing area).

13-y-o run machine

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AEJ Collins never made it into the first-class cricket arena. Similarly, with the spotlight on him since his Herculean feat at the junior level, Pranav Dhanawade has also found it hard going to progress his career, to date struggling to even make the Mumbai Under-19 side. 

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🅥 KC Gandhi‘s innings total 1465 for 3 was also a all-cricket record

🅧 before Dhanawade’s epic knock the only batter to get close to Collins’ mammoth record tally was Tasmanian Charles Eady who hit 566 in a Hobart district men’s competition in 1902 (under the rules current at the time hits clearing the fence were awarded only “five” runs, cf. under the modern scoring system Eady’s score would have been 579).