Pranav Dhanawade: Want to play everything, from Ranji Trophy to IPL

The ongoing Bhandari Cup 2015-16 organised by Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) largely remained in obscurity till Pranav Dhanawade created history. The right-handed 15-year-old batsman (or should we use the word ‘batsboy’?) from Kalyan, a suburb near Mumbai, became the first batsman on the planet to smash 1,000 runs in an innings at any level. The numbers he churned out are astounding: Dhanawade faced a mere 323 balls, batted for 395 minutes, clobbered as many as 59 sixes and an unbelievable 129 boundaries in his 1,009 not out. His team, KC Gandhi School declared their innings at a staggering 1,465 for 3. And it was the first time ever, as CricketCountry editor Abhishek Mukherjee pointed out, a comma was used in a batsman’s individual total. ALSO READ — Pranav Dhanawade: A thousand splendid runs

Dhanawade has become an overnight sensation, and today, he and his family are basking in the glory of the feat that he has achieved. Praises have flowed in continuously, with no other than India’s limited-overs captain MS Dhoni saying “it is serious business in any conditions and ground keeping in mind the age”.

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It is a fact that Sachin Tendulkar is not a regular tweeter. And he certainly does not use hashtags, because on most of occasions what he tweets become trending topics (remember the British Airways episode?). On Tuesday, however, Tendulkar made sure he used the hashtag #PranavDhanawade, which was trending in India.

An avalanche of wishes, garlands and congratulatory messages from all corners of the world poured in for Dhanawade, who was getting ready for an interview with a leading English news channel on Wednesday afternoon when CricketCountry’s Devarchit Varma caught up with him for a brief chat. Here are the excerpts:

CricketCountry (CC): First of all, many congratulations for your feat. Were you aware of the record of highest individual total?

Pranav Dhanawade (PD): Thank you very much. Yes, I was completely aware of the record. I had it in my mind when I was batting and scoring the runs. I had read about it in the past.

CC: You broke the record (AEJ Collins’ score of 628 runs) of highest individual score on Day 1 of the game itself. How did that happen?

PD: I actually started thinking about breaking the record [highest individual total] only when I was somewhere in between 300 and 400. I was batting well, and the idea of scoring 1,000 runs came into my mind the next day when I was somewhere around 500-600. I thought I will be able to make that many runs

CC: The opposition was weak — it comprised of players even aged 11 — but nothing can be taken away from what you achieved. The ground was pretty small too. What is your say?

PD: Yes, it is pretty special achievement for me. Rather, it is a big achievement I would say. I like to hit straight and hard. Yes, the opposition had some players who were very young. I think they dropped me 2-3 times, but I do not think any chance of stumping was missed.

CC: What about reaching the milestone of 1,000-runs? When was the declaration supposed to be made?

PD: As I said, I started thinking about 1,000-run mark only when I had comfortably crossed 500-run mark. When I began batting well on the second day, the team took a decision for me to carry on till I get to 1,000. It was decided that we would bat on one over after I had crossed the feat and then declare.

CC: Did you ever imagine doing something as special as this?

PD: I love to play cricket. I like batting aggressively, hitting the ball hard is something that I love. I like the T20 format, because hitting the ball is my natural style. I like how AB de Villiers bats in T20 cricket, and Sachin Tendulkar is my favourite as well.

CC: How was it to be congratulated by Sachin Tendulkar?

PD: Bohot achcha laga (I felt very nice).

CC: MS Dhoni said he would not have been able to bat for as long as you did. He said, he would get bored. How did you carry yourself throughout the game?

PD: I did get bored at times. I was going on making runs and at times I did get fed up in between. But my coach, Mr. Mobin Shaikh kept motivating me and kept persisting that I continue. But I would like to say that I practice a lot, and have good fitness. Since we keep training the stamina is also good. So keeping these factors in mind I did not face many problems when I was batting.

CC: What is the plan ahead? Some reports say you want to play Ranji Trophy, but what about IPL?

PD: I am not going to keep myself confined to anything. I would take up every opportunity that is going to come my way. I want to play everything, from Ranji Trophy to the Indian Premier League (IPL).

CC: Your coach reportedly said you started taking cricket seriously only recently. Is this true?

PD: I do not think so. I am very serious about my cricket, and I would like to play as much as I can. I am ready to take up any opportunity that arises.

(DevarchitVarma is senior writer with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)