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| Mixed feelings about missing out on record - Gugale |
An immense record - the highest partnership in all first-class cricket - could have been broken at the Wankhede Stadium if Swapnil Gugale, Maharashtra's stand-in captain, had been aware of what he and Ankit Bawne were on the verge of achieving. Their third-wicket stand of 594 was just 30 short of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jaywardene's record, when Gugale declared Maharashtra's innings
Maharashtra had amassed 635 for 2 before the captain - Gugale was leading the team for the first time - decided to give his bowlers five overs at the Delhi batsmen before stumps. He had struck his maiden triple-century - his 351 was the seventh highest score in the Ranji Trophy - and Bawne's 258 was his first double-century.
Gugale said he was made aware of how close they were only after he switched on his phone after play. "I had nearly 100 missed calls and 200 messages," he told ESPNcricinfo. "It was only as I went through them one by one did I realise we were 30-odd short of the world-record partnership in first-class cricket. So there's a tinge of regret. Maybe I could have declared after the record, but the decision was mine alone so I can't complain."
Maharashtra had begun the second morning on 290 for 2 with Gugale and Bawne - on 152 and 120 - having added 249 on the first day. By the end of the innings, Gugale had batted 521 minutes and struck 37 fours and five sixes, while Bawne batted 500 minutes, hitting 18 fours and two sixes. They had added 345 on the second day.
"Delhi waale ladke bhi hume puch rahein the, 'bore nahi ho rahe ho kya? Hum log bowling karke bore hogaye, tum log batting karke bore kaise nahi ho rahe ho?' (The Delhi team asked us, 'aren't you bored? We are bored of bowling to you guys.' I said, 'who gets bored of batting?'
"This is a batting beauty to be honest," Gugale said of the surface. "If you can see off the new ball, batting is a lot easier. If we could bat 170 odd overs, I'm sure we have to be prepared to bowl at least 120 overs. That said, scorecard pressure is a different thing. As a batsman, noticing 600 runs on the scoreboard, it is always in the back of your mind. Even if you are playing, you obviously have to score at a proper rate and that's not easy on this track. It is a third-day track, you never know when the ball might spin or bounce."
Gugale and Bawne batted together for close to 12 hours and put on the highest partnership in the Ranji Trophy, surpassing Vijay Hazare and Gul Mohammad's 577 for Baroda against Holkar in the 1946-47 final. They had begun with Maharashtra 41 for 2 in the first hour after opting to bat. Gugale also joined Hazare, BB Nimbhalkar and Kedar Jadhav to become only the fourth triple centurion for Maharashtra.
It was a significant knock given the circumstances. Gugale had made 11 and 25 in a six-wicket loss to Jharkhand in their Ranji Trophy opener last week, and Maharashtra's captain Jadhav was unavailable for the second round after being picked in India's ODI squad for the series against New Zealand. Maharashtra didn't have a ready replacement. Rohit Motwani, who led them to the final in 2013-14 and to the semi-final a season later, had fallen out of favour.
"I was told of the captaincy on the eve of the game," Gugale said. " I have a good previous record as captain at Under-19 and Under-25 level. It was a proud feeling as I was not expecting this considering I'm still less than 20 matches old. It was very early. I've been a regular for just three seasons. I was surprised, but very happy. Maybe I'll realise the pressures of captaining only when we are out on the field making things happen. For now it's all too pleasant."
Frustration has been a common theme in Gugale and Bawne's careers. From once being considered certainties for India U-19, both were surpassed by their contemporaries. Gugale missed selection in 2010 despite scorching the age-group circuit while Bawne, set to captain India at the 2012 Under-19 World Cup, was pulled out because of a discrepancy in his age, which he says was because of carelessness of the agent who got him his passport. Since then, while they have gone on to make careers with Maharashtra, they have not had any higher recognition.
On Friday, Gugale said "everything changed."
"I hope this knock pushed me onto the next level in the first-class scene," he said. "It's an unbelievable feeling. As cricketers, you want to be recognised. But it's only when you are recognised that it sinks in. So I'm enjoying this attention. My family and friends have gone crazy. I heard our feat was talked about a lot on Twitter too. The phone hasn't stopped buzzing. It feels like I'm celebrating Diwali one month early."