Who is Prakhar Chaturvedi, the wonderboy who broke Yuvraj Singh’s record?

885 minutes, 638 balls, 404 not out... 

The breakdown of Karnataka boy Prakhar Chaturvedi’s record innings in the final of the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy on Monday, 15 January tells you why the product of the Padukone-Dravid Centre of Excellence has become such a big talking point of Indian cricket media on Tuesday. 

An amazing effort this against Mumbai, the highest score ever in a Cooch Behar final – which overtook Yuvraj Singh’s 24-year-old record of 358 for Punjab in the age group tournament which once acted as a pipeline of talent for Indian cricket. For example, it was a certain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (then of Bihar) who watched Yuvraj’s marathon knock from behind the stumps. 

It’s difficult to predict if Prakhar can join the big league as there is always a slip between the lip and the cup – a good example of which is Vijay Zol, a former Under-19 India captain, who has to his credit the highest ever score of 454 in this tournament for Maharashtra against Assam in 2011-12. However, Prakhar’s finishing as the highest scorer of the tournament with 794 runs with two centuries and a fifty makes him a hot shot candidate for the state Ranji side for the ongoing premier red ball tournament.  

Chaturvedi added 109 runs with opener Karthik S U for the first wicket. His partner-in-crime chipped in with a gritty 50 off 67 balls. Joining forces with No.3 batter Harshil Dharmani, the Karnataka opener laid the foundation for a massive total against Mumbai in the first innings. While Dharmani scored 169 off 228 balls, Chaturvedi remained unbeaten on 404 off 638 balls to raise his stocks in the domestic arena. 

A Class XII student, Prakhar loves all formats but has a calm head on his yong shoulders as he shared his approach in red ball cricket with the media. ‘’Red ball cricket for me is all about patience. I know I can hit the ball long and hard, but in the longer format, it is important to keep the ball on the ground. I took my time to assess the conditions and then played my shots,’’ Prakhar said. 

It’s reassuring to note that such young talents are putting a premium on virtues of innings building. Keep them coming, Prakhar!