On This Day: Exactly 74 years ago, the biggest match in the history of first class cricket was played in Poona.
Image Credit source: AFP
New Delhi. More than 2000 runs, 19 centuries, 38 wickets… these are the figures of only one match, which was played in India. It was the biggest scoring match in the history of first class cricket. The match was played exactly 74 years ago in Poona. The semi-final match of the Ranji Trophy was played between Bombay and Maharashtra from 5 to 11 March 1949. There was record rain in this match. Both the teams together scored 2376 runs.
A total of 38 wickets fell in this match. Not only this, 19 centuries were also scored, out of which 9 were hit by the batsman and 10 were unknowingly scored by the bowlers. While everyone was scoring runs in this match, it was a nightmare for Bhausaheb Balasaheb Nimbalkar of Maharashtra. Nimbalkar, who had scored an unbeaten 443 in his first class career, could score only 25 and 21 runs in both the innings of this match.
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9 batsmen who scored a century
In the explosive match played 74 years ago, 9 batsmen had scored a century. In the first innings for Bombay, MK Mantri scored 200, Uday Merchant scored 143, Dattu scored 131 runs. In the first innings for Maharashtra, Manohar Datar scored 143 runs, Madhusudan scored 133 runs. Bombay batted stormy in the second innings as well and Uday Merchant scored 156, Dattu scored 160 runs. Maharashtra also did not lag behind in replying. Madhusudan scored 100 and Sharad scored 146 runs. Despite this, he could not win his team. Bombay won the match by 354 runs.
Bombay wreaks havoc
Batting first, Bombay scored 651 runs in the first innings. After this Maharashtra team got all out for 407 runs in the first innings. After getting a strong lead in the first innings, Bombay declared their second innings by scoring 714 runs for 8 wickets and gave Maharashtra a target of 959 runs. In response to which the Maharashtra team got all out for 604 runs.
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Bowlers who scored centuries unintentionally
In this match of Ranji Trophy, 10 bowlers also completed a century of looting 100 and more runs. Sayajirao of Maharashtra took 3 wickets for 195 runs in the first innings, Dattatreya Chaudhary took 3 wickets for 149 runs. In Maharashtra’s first innings from Bombay, Dattu took 3 wickets for 142 runs, Keki Tarapore took 6 wickets for 119 runs. In the second innings of Bombay, Bhausaheb of Maharashtra took one wicket for 107 runs, Sayajirao took one wicket for 126 runs, Dattatreya took 4 wickets for 210 runs. In the last innings, Dattu took 3 wickets for 178 runs, Keki took 3 wickets for 180 runs and Gulbari Ramchand took 2 wickets for 121 runs.
