Record knock: 721 not out

It was a day to cheer for cricket. It was a day to rejoice for India when two Hyderabad lads Bodepalli Manoj Kumar and Mohammed Shaibaaz Tumbi bettered the Sachin-Kambli record by remaining not out at 721 during an inter-school match. Ramesh Kandula talks to the top scorers

When they took to the crease that Wednesday, the 15^th of November, the two teenagers probably had no inkling that they would be batting their way into the record books.

But it turned out to be a day that Bodepalli Manoj Kumar and Mohammed Shaibaaz Tumbi will remember for a long, long time, having set a world record with an unbroken 721-run stand for their school.

The young lads achieved the feat in 40 overs during an under-13 inter-school match conducted by the Hyderabad Cricket Association at Parada Grounds in Secunderabad.

The openers from St Peter’s School piled up the runs against St Phillip’s School for the first wicket. In the process, they surpassed the world record set by Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli in an inter-school match.

Tendulkar and Kambli had scripted a memorable partnership of 664 runs way back in the memorable match in 1988 in which Tendulkar remained unbeaten with 329 and Kambli scored 349 not out playing for Sharadashram Vidyamandir against St Xavier’s in Harris League semi-finals in Mumbai.

Unlike the famous duo who took three days for the record partnership, the new heroes, both students of eighth standard, piled up the mammoth score on a single day.

Manoj hit an unbeaten 320 (with 46 boundaries – off 127 balls) and Shaibaaz 324 (with 57 boundaries – off 116 balls). They literally had a field day driving the ball all along the ground. Having run all over the place without a gap, the fielders gave up after a
point of time.

No wonder, the shell-shocked and tired out opponents were all out for a paltry 21 runs. "We were just hitting the ball merrily, and the fielders started crying ‘anna, please stop hitting, we can’t run anymore’!" said a jubilant Manoj after the match.

With a whopping 77 extras, the total from their partnership went up to 721 runs for no loss. The blazing innings actually threw up three records: highest total, highest partnership and highest victory margin — in any form of limited-overs cricket at any level.

"We were clear that we would play all 40 overs and score faster by going for big strokes," Shaibaaz said after the match, who incidentally never played as an opener earlier.

The all-rounder normally plays two-down.

"I am thrilled to have broken my idols’ record. This has boosted my confidence and I will strive to better my performance," Manoj, son of an advocate, said.

The stupendous feat earned instant fame to the duo and made headlines all over the world, and sent their fellow students, parents and coach into celebration mode. The boys, who were felicitated by their school management, found themselves on every channel and in every newspaper.

Both Shaibaaz and Manoj, who joined the St Peter’s High School in Hyderabad’s suburbs just to play cricket, are also good in their studies. The school offers coaching in cricket, and also sponsors the complete education of these boys. Interestingly, Shaibaaz’s younger brother Shahdab is the regular opener for the team, and is said to be a more dashing batsman. A few weeks before, Shahdab (12) was selected in the AP state team for the Schools Nationals.

Shaibaaz’s father Imtiaz Tumbi, who was present during the remarkable performance, said that it was Shaibaaz’s determination to impress the selectors, following his brother’s representation in the Nationals, which drove him to peak performance.

According to St Peter’s coach Harish Kumar, when he went to the headquarters of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) to submit the scorecard of the match, the officials did not believe him initially.

"They were initially stunned and didn’t believe me. It was only when they had confirmed the scores from other sources that they took the scorecard from me,’ he said.

As Kambli himself pointed out in Cricinfo.com interview, the fact that the ’88 feat stood for so long, showed how tough it was to beat. Hailing the "incredible" record, Kambli also sought to remove the impression that school cricket made for easy records. "It’s extremely difficult unless you have some talent," he said.

The Hyderabad cricketers were not far behind in their praise. Former Indian off-spinner Arshad Ayub said it was a red-letter day for Hyderabad cricket. Former Secretary of Hyderabad Cricket Association Man Singh said he was delighted. He hoped that if the boys sustained in the years to come, India might have another Sachin and Kambli.

The boys have now set their sights on securing a place in the Indian team in the not too distant future. "We would like to emulate Sachin and go up to his level of playing for India," the inspired teenagers say with passion.

The Andhra Pradesh Government has awarded Rs 1 lakh as incentive to each player for their stupendous performance.