Prakhar Chaturvedi broke Yuvraj Singh's long-standing record in Cooch Behar Trophy.
Credit. X/@BCCIdomestic
Shivamogga: On a day when the Karnataka Ranji Trophy team slumped to a shock defeat against Gujarat in Ahmedabad, their U-19 team provided the assurance of a glittering future by winning their maiden Cooch Behar Trophy by getting the better of Mumbai in Shivamogga.
The icing on the cake was Prakhar Chaturvedi's unbeaten 404, the 638-ball marathon effort eclipsing Yuvraj Singh's 25-year-old record (358) that the former India swashbuckler had created against a Bihar U-19 side which also featured former India skipper MS Dhoni in it.
The highest individual score in India's U-19 domestic event is in the name of Maharashtra's Vijay Zol against Assam in the 2011-12 season.
With his 404 not out, Prakhar also became the first player to score 400 in the final of the tournament.
Prakhar trains under former Karnataka Ranji captain and coach Karthik Jeshwanth at the SIX Cricket Academy here.
Jeshwanth described Prakhar as a technically sound batter with a temperament to bat long hours.
Thanks to Prakhar's epic knock, Karnataka piled on a whopping 890/8 declared after batting for 223 overs. The players shook hands after the hosts had compiled a mammoth first innings lead of 510 runs.
The decision of sending Mumbai in to bat first on a flat track initially seemed to have backfired, as the visitors rode on Ayush Mhatre (145) and Ayush Sachin Vartak (73) to post 380 all out.
But this Karnataka side has repeatedly showcased its batting depth throughout its road to victory, and saved their best for the last to bag the trophy, courtesy the first innings lead.
While Karthik SU went hard at Mumbai bowlers, Prakhar took his time to study the pitch, and only then began unfurling a series of well-timed drives and flicks while also showcasing his solid temperament and shot selection.
Prakhar was equally adept at handling both spin and pace, and went on to stitch mega partnerships of 290 with Harshil Dharmani (169), 152 with Karthikeya KP (77), 86 with Hardik Raj (51) and 173 with Samarth N (55).
Brief scores: Mumbai: 380 all out in 113.5 overs lt to Karnataka: (o/n: 626/6): 890/8 decl in 223 overs (Prakhar Chaturvedi 404 n.o., Karthik SU 50, Harshil Dharmani 169, Karthikeya KP 72, Hardik Raj 51, Samarth N 55 n.o.).