Who is Sakibul Gani? (Instagram: sakibul__saki)
Sakibul Gani, a name many would not have known, has rewritten the record books with a 32-ball century in the ongoing Bihar vs Arunachal Pradesh match at the JSCA Oval Ground in Ranchi.
The inaugural day of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 has become the most talked-about day in its 33-year history. The batter's 122 off just 39 balls eclipsed the star boy from Bihar, Vaibhav Suryavanshi's tremendous innings of 190.
With Suryavanshi at the front, backed by Gani's carnage in the end, the Bihar team also broke the record for the highest total in an innings. With their 574/6, leaving Tamil Nadu's 506/2 behind to hog the top position.
Meet Sakibul Gani, The man of the hour!
Born on 2nd September 1999, Sakibul Gani comes from a humble family background and hails from East Champaran district in Motihari. Despite the adversities, Gani chose to pursue the sport.
After years of turmoil, he made his List A debut on 7 October 2019, for Bihar in the 2019–20 Vijay Hazare Trophy. However, his most commendable innings came on 17th February 2022. Notably, on his Ranji Trophy debut, Gani went on to score 341 runs, becoming the first player to score a triple century on their first-class debut.
Moreover, Gani scored 98 and 101 not out in his next two innings, giving him the highest aggregate in a batter's first three innings in first-class cricket with 540 runs.
Bihar secretary Aditya Verma praises Gani's revival in domestic
In an interaction with News9 Sports in 2022, Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma said he had improved in recent years after not even knowing how to approach his game at one stage.
“He comes from a very humble background in Bihar. He is a local lad and a very talented cricketer. People are noticing him now but he did well in Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Before throwing him straight into the Ranji Trophy, we had sent him to play some cricket in Mumbai, where he was impressive too. We have no doubt about his talent."
Verma further expressed:
“He had no clue on how to approach professional cricket and that is where we stepped in and made him and his family understand that he is a very good talent. Players playing in domestic cricket don’t garner the limelight often unless they are part of a heavyweight team or associated with IPL and that is where the role of coaches, administrators, scouts become very important. We are glad, we brought him to the right track and he is proving his worth now.”
The ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 has already set the bar high with players like Gani and Suryavanshi making the inaugural day historic.
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