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1015-minute long innings ended on this day: A record-breaking moment in Ranji Trophy

Shreyasi

Ranji Trophy [Source: X/@Jasonphilip8]Ranji Trophy [Source: X/@Jasonphilip8]

Cricket is a funny game. This is one of the rare sports where a First-Class match can go on for days and at times spending the time at the crease is more important than scoring runs. There are some epic innings in the long history of the game where the situation dictates the main protagonist to bat for hours or even for days.  

In Indian cricket, there are greats like Vijay Manjarekar and Rahul Dravid who are well-known for their patience and ability to build innings and play for time. However, the record for the longest innings in First-class cricket belongs to a relatively unknown cricketer from Himachal Pradesh who played a nearly 17-hour long innings that ended on this day in 1999.

A 40-year-old record broken

Originally the record belonged to the ‘Litte Master’ from Pakistan, Hanif Mohammad. In 1958, the legendary opening batter utilized his entire patience and composure to build an innings for over 970 minutes to save a famous Test match against West Indies at Bridgetown. For more than 40 years the record remained untouched and then in the winter of 1999 during a Ranji Trophy match the record was claimed by Rajeev Nayyar, the captain of Himachal Pradesh. 

Rajeev Nayyar [Source: X/@@Deepakg96069975]Rajeev Nayyar [Source: X/@@Deepakg96069975]

Nayyar was leading his team against Jammu & Kashmir in North Zone group league match. Batting first, Jammu & Kashmir was bowled out near the end of day one for 249. Himachal started batting on day two and Nayyar came to the crease after the fall of first wicket for 39 runs in the 11th over of the innings. Immediately he built a partnership with the opener Nischal Gaur for 146 runs in more than 66 overs. The intension of batting long was already showing and Nayyar ended the day on unbeaten 89 as Himachal Pradesh scored 219/3 at the end of day two. 

1015 minutes, 728 deliveries- Rajeev Nayyar's name into the record books

Day three moved even slowly as the Himachal team limped to 407/6, scoring only 188 runs in a day batting 89 overs. Nayyar was the main man as he remained unbeaten on 170, scoring only 81 runs throughout the day. By then he had already batted for more than 11 hours.

With a lead of more than 150 runs, there was an option of declaring early on day four, the last day of the match, and going for a win but Nayyar was not obligated. He continued batting in search of his maiden FC double hundred and reached it duly. He batted on and was finally dismissed by the opposition captain Kavaljit Singh for 277 runs.

It was the 250th over of the innings and by then Nayyar batted for 728 deliveries, equivalent to 121.2 overs and stayed at the crease for 1015 minutes which can be converted to 16 hours 55 minutes- a record that is unlikely to be broken in near future. Himachal Pradesh finished their first innings for 567 and Jammu & Kashmir reached to 16/1 before the match got over.