Bihar batter Sakibul Gani on Wednesday thrust himself into the record books after he slammed a 32-ball hundred against Arunachal Pradesh in a Plate group encounter of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Riding on his knock, besides Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 190 and wicketkeeper Ayush Loharuka’s 116, Bihar posted a massive 574/6.
Bihar’s innings had already lit up after Vaibhav tore into the attack with a 35-ball century en route to a 190 off 84 deliveries. But captain Gani, walking in at No. 5, produced a spectacle of his own, an unbeaten 128 off just 40 balls, studded with 10 boundaries and 12 sixes.
Gani first grabbed attention three years ago with a monumental 341 on his Ranji Trophy debut. Batting at No. 5 against Mizoram, he smashed a triple hundred and
powered Bihar to a mammoth 686/5 in the first innings.
Gani eclipsed Ajay Rohera’s 247 from the 2018 Ranji Trophy in emphatic fashion. He remains the only player in the world to score a triple hundred on first-class debut and one of just 25 players to have smacked 200 or more on debut.
Having batted across the top and middle order with an attacking mindset and already owning a red-ball triple hundred, Gani’s journey mirrors that of his idol, Virender Sehwag.
Gani has spoken about being an ardent admirer of the former India opener.
“I played every stroke with a straight bat. But I would like to bat like Sehwag sir when I play T20s or List A cricket. My dream is to play for India, but before that I would love to play in the IPL one day,” Gani said while speaking to ESPNCricinfo in 2022.
“I really admire Virender Sehwag sir. I have watched all his batting videos. Just like Sehwag sir, I also want to make a name for myself. I want to meet Sehwag sir and ask him a lot of questions about batting,” Gani told The Times of India.
