Tondulkar, a standard X student of the school in Dadar, broke former Test star Vinod Kambli’s 18-year-old Harris Shield record on Wednesday.
MUMBAI: All Rahul Tondulkar wanted was to see his team through to the semi-finals of the Harris Shield inter-school cricket tournament. But even before his team’s fate could be decided, the captain of the IES VN Sule Guruji School made a mark that earned him pride of place in Mumbai’s cricket history.
Tondulkar, a standard X student of the school in Dadar and a fan of Sachin Tendulkar, broke former Test star Vinod Kambli’s 18-year-old Harris Shield record on Wednesday.
Tondulkar had no notion of the record score of 349 when he ended the first day of the match unbeaten on 227 against St Francis School, Borivli. Only when DNA contacted him did he realise the existence of the record.
Kambli had slammed 349 not out for Shardashram English, also a Dadar school, against St Xavier’s school, Fort, in 1987-88. It eventually took Tondulkar only 345 balls to erase the mark.
When the skipper declared his team’s first innings closed at 621 for 3, he was unbeaten on 357, with 49 fours and three sixes, and had spent 450 minutes at the crease. The second highest scorer was Bhushan Shinde with 130.
The record itself came in a quirky manner. Tondulkar, on 347, turned spinner Pratik Pujari to mid-wicket and scampered for a single. Pujari ran to mid-wicket to field the ball himself and had a shy at the non-striker’s end, but Tondulkar made his ground. The throw, however, hit the stumps and sped to the fence, giving the batsman four extra runs and the record.
“The credit goes to my coach, school, teammates, and my parents,” the happy lad later said. “I always knew my son will do something special,” said his mother Rashmi.
Coach Gopal Kole said Tondulkar has the potential to “go places”. “It is a great moment for me that one of my boys has achieved the feat,” he said. “The boy has the potential to play for the country.”
The rival team was in a daze. It was dismissed for just 79 in the first innings, and ended Day 2 on 105 for no loss in the second. “We feel sad that it has happened against our school,” said Pujari later. “But Rahul is a brilliant batsman.”
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}