Opener Prashant Chopra scored this Ranji Trophy season’s first triple hundred as Himachal Pradesh continued to plummet the Punjab bowling on the second morning of the four-day encounter at Dharamsala on Saturday.
Unbeaten on 271 at stumps on day 1, 25-year-old Chopra completed his first triple century off 318 balls that included 40 boundaries and a six.
He was eventually dismissed on 338 when he gave a return catch to off spinner Pargat Singh while trying to up the scoring rate. The effort was enough to register the 10th highest individual score in the Ranji Trophy, leapfrogging K L Rahul’s 337 against Uttar Pradesh in the 2014/15 season.
Himachal were 631 for 5 at lunch with Ankush Bains (71*) and Rishi Dhawan (19*) at the crease.
The day started decently for the Punjab bowlers as Paras Dogra, unbeaten on 99 overnight, was bowled off the third ball by Sandeep Sharma without adding a run to his individual score.
Sharma sent back Nikhil Gangta (6) in his next over as Himachal were reduced to 467 for 4. But then Chopra took over.
Chopra, who had scored the maximum runs in a day in Ranji Trophy since Bhausaheb Nimbalkar’s 277 back in 1948-49, had spoken about starting afresh on Saturday as had a shot at highest individual score in the Ranji trophy on a batsmen-friendly wicket.
Nimbalkar holds the record for the highest score – 443 not out – which he scored against Kathiawar in the same match 67 year’s ago.
“Let’s forget what has happened today. This is a good wicket to bat on, and if I can be careful initially, it will go my way,” a rather confident Chopra was quoted as saying by Sportstar.
“I got off to a good start, and passed the initial phase well. Then I went playing the way I wanted to. I wasn’t trying hard to get boundaries but even then, they came my way,” Chopra said.
Chopra has been picked in the India A squad for matches against New Zealand and would miss the team’s next league game. A record score on the home turf would only end up giving him more confidence.