Prakhar Chaturvedi Break Yuvraj Singh's Record.

Prakhar Chaturvedi : The team that will defend India’s under-19 world title in South Africa later this month does not include Prakhar Chaturvedi. However, the young player from Karnataka has promised that selectors would be closely monitoring him going forward. The right-hander finished with an undefeated 404 to become the highest individual scorer in the Cooch Behar Trophy final after an 885-minute marathon effort.

Prakhar, who chose to complete his Class 12 education through open enrollment in order to focus on cricket, said that timing an innings is essential to playing red-ball cricket. Although I am confident in my ability to hit the ball far and powerfully, it is crucial to keep it on the ground in the longer format. I evaluated the situation carefully before making my shots.

Former Karnataka captain, K Jeshwanth, his coach at Bengaluru’s Six Cricket Academy -which is part of the Padukone-Dravid Centre of Excellence -said, “I’m not surprised by his achievement because he is blessed with good technique and backs it with unconditional hard work. He is a good student of the game and can adapt to different formats with ease. A powerful hitter, he is like a blackboard on which you can write anything.” Prakhar travels 100km daily to train at the academy.

Chaturvedi’s unbroken 404 enabled him claim the second rank in the list of best individual scores in the league, behind Vijay Zol’s 451 not out in the 2011-12 season. Based on a first-inning advantage, Karnataka’s undefeated triple tonne helped them win as they responded to Mumbai’s 380 all-out on the second day with 890 for 8.

Prakhar Chaturvedi Surpasses Yuvraj Singh's record of 24 years. — Image Source : ESPNCricinfo

In his 638-ball innings, Chaturvedi hit 46 fours and three sixes. After missing out on being included in the Under-19 side for the whole season, Chaturvedi turned things around and is now a candidate to make his Ranji Trophy debut for Karnataka’s senior team.

In the process, Prakhar bettered Yuvraj Singh’s 24-year-old mark of 358. That innings of Yuvraj was watched from behind the stumps by a young wicketkeeper named MS Dhoni! The Cooch Behar Trophy has unearthed many legends. Indian cricket fans will be hoping Prakhar too will join their ranks.

𝙍𝙀𝘾𝙊𝙍𝘿 𝘼𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙏! 🚨

4⃣0⃣4⃣* runs
6⃣3⃣8⃣ balls
4⃣6⃣ fours
3⃣ sixes

Karnataka’s Prakhar Chaturvedi becomes the first player to score 400 in the final of #CoochBehar Trophy with his splendid 404* knock against Mumbai.

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/jzFOEZCVRs @kscaofficial1 pic.twitter.com/GMLDxp4MYY

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 15, 2024

“He unfortunately missed the Under-16s, it needed a lot of convincing for the selectors to give him an opportunity there. A similar story happened at the Under-19s too, but luckily, he got opportunities, and he delivered when it mattered,” EspnCricinfo quoted K Jeshwant, Chaturvedi’s coach as saying.

When asked if he knew about Yuvraj’s record, the two-year-old Prakhar, who was born in Jabalpur, said, “My teammates told me I was getting closer to the record at lunch, but I didn’t let it register in my head because I wanted to play without pressure.” I was exhausted at some points during the inning, but I persisted in pushing myself.

With 795 runs at an average of 79.5, including two hundreds and a fifty, Prakhar finished the tournament as the highest run-getter thanks in part to his incredible performance in the final.