First in 20 years: Uncapped Indian becomes third batter to be dismissed for 299 in first-class cricket history

Sudip Kumar Gharami falls for 299

Bengal had bowled out Andhra for 295 after Abhimanyu Easwaran won the toss and elected to field in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final in Kalyani. Andhra captain Ricky Bhui top-scored with 83 as Mukesh Kumar (5-66) and Akash Deep (4-79) shared nine wickets.

Gharami came to bat on the second afternoon, at the fall of the first wicket. He stayed at the crease for two days, facing 596 balls (99.2 overs) and hit 31 fours and six sixes. This is the longest innings of the decade so far in first-class cricket, eclipsing Yash Dubey’s 591-ball 289 for Madhya Pradesh against Kerala in 2021/22.

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Unfortunately, he fell a run short of becoming the third Bengal batter to score a triple hundred, after Devang Gandhi (323) and Manoj Tiwary (303 not out).

Gharami became the third batter and first Indian to get dismissed for 299 in first-class cricket, after Martin Crowe (in a Test match) and Mike Powell. Don Bradman (again, in a Test) and Shantanu Sugwekar have remained unbeaten on the same score.

This was Gharami’s seventh first-class hundred (in his 38th game) but first double hundred. His previous best was 186.

Bengal eventually amassed 629 and effectively sealed a semi-final berth on first-innings lead. At the time of writing, Andhra were 21-1 in their second innings.

299s in first-class cricket

Note:

No batter has scored a 399 in first-class cricket: Naved Latif (394) and Stephen Cook (390) have the only 390s. However, Hanif Mohammad was famously run out for 499 in 1958/59.