Prakhar Chaturvedi breaks Yuvraj Singh’s record with unbeaten 404 in U-19 final

Shivamogga (Karnataka), Jan 15

Karnataka’s Prakhar Chaturvedi today broke Yuvraj Singh’s 25-year-old record for the highest score in the U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy final with an unbeaten 404 off 636 balls against Mumbai here.

Yuvraj, who went on to become an Indian great, had smashed 358 for Punjab in a game against Bihar back in 1999. India’s World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni was part of that Bihar squad.

The highest individual score in India’s premier U-19 domestic event is Vijay Zol’s 451 not out for Maharashtra against Assam in 2011-12.

Chaturvedi’s effort included 46 fours and three sixes. Charturvedi’s marathon innings helped Karnataka amass 890/8 in response to Mumbai’s 380. The game was drawn, with Karnataka taking the first innings lead.

Ranji debut

After his epic knock, Chaturvedi trained his eyes on Karnataka U23 and Ranji Trophy debuts. “It is a great feeling,” Chaturvedi said. “I am delighted that the innings came in the final and helped Karnataka earn the first title (Cooch Behar). Feeling a bit tired but nothing can match the happiness of a team winning the title and you contributing to it,” he added.

Chaturvedi comes from a household that has placed academics as the first priority. His father Sanjay Kumar owns a software firm at Electronics City in Bengaluru, while his mother Rupa is a technical advisor in the DRDO. But that has not prevented them from allowing their son to pursue his heart’s calling. “They have been very supportive of me from the time I took up cricket as an eight-year-old. They had even availed me of the services of a private throwdown expert during the (Covid-19) lockdown. Fortunately, I have been able to carry both cricket and studies together,” he said.

“Now, I want to graduate to the state U23 and Ranji Trophy sides at the earliest. Hopefully, I can tackle bigger challenges,” he added.