On Saturday morning, Madhya Pradesh batsman Ajay Rohera had every reason to celebrate. As he played a stroke off Hyderabad pacer Mohammad Murassir, the 21-year-old opener smashed former Mumbai batsman Amol Muzumdar's long-standing record for the highest first-class debut score.
Rohera bettered Muzumdar's 260 against Haryana in Faridabad in 1994. He also went past J.P. Yadav's 265 to become the highest individual scorer for M.P.
Interestingly, Rohera was seen gesturing to his dressing room that he would love to bat on for three more overs; a natural inclination given that he was closing in on what would have been a memorable triple hundred.
But, captain Naman Ojha declared the MP innings with Rohera on 267 and Yash Dubey on 139 - team's interest taking precedence to personal goals.
Ojha and everyone in the squad were waiting near the boundary line to present Rohera a bouquet as a token of appreciation.
During the lunch break, MPCA officials also felicitated him.
"It is a great feeling to score a double century on debut and that too with a record. Hope to keep going, " Rohera said even as he thanked his captain, teammates and all those responsible for his entry into the Ranji squad.
"Honestly, I was conscious of the record and that was first objective," he said.
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