Ranji Trophy: Himachal Pradesh's top-four batters script history with centuries
What's the story
Team Himachal Pradesh has etched a historic mark in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, as their top four batters scored centuries in a single innings. The incredible feat was achieved during their match against Uttarakhand at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. This is only the second time such an event has happened in the history of Ranji Trophy matches. Here are further details
Player performances
Meet the players who achieved this feat
The players who helped achieve this historic feat are Shubham Arora (118), Prashant Chopra (171), Ankit Kalsi (205 not out) and Ekant Singh (101). Their collective efforts took Himachal Pradesh to a dominating position in the match. The team declared its first innings at 663/3. This is a rare sight, not only in Ranji Trophy but also in first-class cricket around the world.
Past records
A look at the previous instance
Notably, the only other instance of the top four batters scoring centuries in a Ranji Trophy match was recorded by Goa against Arunachal Pradesh in 2019. Sumiran Amonkar (160), Vaibhav Govekar (160), Smit Patel (137 not out), and Amit Verma (122 not out) had achieved this feat. Goa had declared at 589 for two in that game.
Global instances
A rare feat in FC cricket
Globally, this is just the 14th time when the top-four batters have scored centuries in a First-Class match. The previous ones were Middlesex v Sussex at Lord's (1920), Victoria v New South Wales at MCG (1926/27), and India vs Bangladesh at Mirpur (2007). The last time before Himachal Pradesh's feat was when Sri Lanka played Ireland at Galle in 2022/23.