MUMBAI: He was cramping and utterly tired when he became on Tuesday the first batsman to score 1,000 runs in an innings in an officially recognised cricket match, but Pranav Dhanawade had a reason to smile.
His epic knock not only changed his mother Mohini’s opinion about sports, but also got him several helping hands for his studies. His team also registered a world-record innings and 1382-run win.
A resident of Kalyan, KC Gandhi School’s Dhanawade (15) resumed his innings from his Monday’s score of 652 against Arya Gurukool School in the TM Bhandari inter-school trophy (U-16). Within two hours, he reached the historic mark of 1,000. His team also recorded world’s highest innings total of 1,465/3 overtaking Victoria’s 1107 in 1926. Dhanawade was unbeaten on 1,009. He faced 327 balls, and had hit 59 sixes and 129 fours.
In response to KC Gandhi’s score, Arya Gurukool were bundled out for just 52. Dhanawade broke a 116-year-old record of the highest individual score registered by AEJ Collins in 1899. Collins had scored an unbeaten 628 for Clark House against North Town House in UK.
Mohini could not hide her sorrows after her son brought fame to the family of a humble background. “I used to tell him to concentrate on studies so that he could get some job in the future. Now, I have changed my opinion. I will encourage him to play cricket and work hard,” she said. His father Prashant, a rickshaw driver, couldn’t find words to describe what Dhanawade had achieved. It was Prashant who had encouraged him to play cricket in spite of his limited source of income.
He enrolled Dhanawade for coaching at the prestigious MIG Club in Bandra. He would drive a rickshaw in the morning, leave for MIG in the afternoon, and return along with his son at night. “I can’t explain how happy we are. I was nervous throughout the day when Pranav was playing, but his feat really made us proud. There is a lot of talent in our area but we lack the proper training facilities for our children. I want to see him play for Mumbai in the U-16 team,” said Prashant. Dhanawade celebrated the victory with his teammates. He remained calm and grounded after the sudden media focus and the help assured by the politicians. “I thank my parents and the coach. I will do better in the future,” he said.