KOLKATA: Sudip Gharami suffered the typical ‘so close yet so far’ sentiment as he missed out on 300 runs against Andhra by just one run in the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals at Kalyani this week. Disappointed and frustrated? Yes, he does, but the Bengal batsman isn’t about to think about it.
“I’m not playing for any milestone. My aim is to make Bengal safe as that will ensure I get one more innings in the semi-finals,” he said after a marathon run that helped Bangladesh advance to the Ranji semi-final clash with Jammu and Kashmir.
At a time when cricketers have grown up to be products of the IPL era, when fashion and bravado seemed to be the order of the day in their batting, the 26-year-old marked a stunning departure from the trend. Against Andhra, Gharami stayed in the game for two days and hit 31 fours and 6 sixes off 596 balls (99.2 overs). It was the longest innings in first-class cricket so far in a decade.
In the process, Galami also became the third batsman and the first Indian to be dismissed for 299 runs in first-class cricket, after New Zealand greats Martin Crowe (in a Test match) and Mike Powell. Don Bradman (Test) and Shantanu Sugwekar remain unbeaten on the same score.
“The innings was very satisfying. After losing our top three batsmen – Abhimanyu Iswaran, Sudeep Chatterjee and Anushtup Majumder, we were 43/3. To get 600 runs from there is very special,” Gharami said.
Galami, the son of a mason, had a difficult journey. Debesh Chakraborty, a coach from Naihati, 45 kilometers north of Kolkata, who started his cricketing career when young Gharami was 11, saw a spark in him. Later, he trained at different academies in Barasat, Kalyani and Ichapur before finally getting picked by the second-division club Kolkata Maidan. Garami’s parents lived in a mud hut surrounded by bamboo and made many sacrifices to realize their son’s passion.
Gharami, a fan of Sachin Tendulkar, has represented Bengal at the Under-16, U-19 and U-23 levels and made his debut for the state in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy final against Saurashtra in Rajkot.
“I would say the boy has great batting skills,” former Bangladesh U-23 coach Sourasish Lahiri told TOI. “He reminds me of Manoj Tiwary. He is both aggressive and solid in defence. He is the highest run-scorer (over 600) in the one-day tournament at the U-23 level in the country,” Lahiri said. The former Bengal spinner was impressed with the youngster’s hunger for success.