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Danish Malewar has become the first Indian in 81 years to retire out after scoring a double hundred in Duleep Trophy for Central Zone against North East.
Danish Malewar retired out on 203 (Picture credit: PTI)
Star Vidarbha batter Danish Malewar on Friday became the first Indian batter in 81 years to retire out after scoring a double hundred, after former India batter Vijay Merchant, who did the same back in 1944. Malewar, who has been in stupendous form, scored a double hundred for Central Zone against North East in the ongoing Duleep Trophy.
Malewar put together stands of 139 with Aryan Juyal (60) and 199 with stand-in captain Rajat Patidar (125), who led the team in Dhruv Jurel’s absence.
Day one ended early because of bad light followed by rain, with Malewar unbeaten on 198, already going past his previous first-class best of 153 from last season’s Ranji Trophy final.
When play resumed on Friday morning, Malewar reached the 200-run mark for the first time in his professional career with a four in the very first over.
Malewar was then retired out on 203, permitting Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Subham Sharma to come to the crease. He became the first Indian in 81 years to retire out after reaching 200, since Vijay Merchant’s 201 for the Cricket Club of India against Services XI in December 1944.
The previous instance of a batter retiring out in first-class cricket in India came in 2016-17, when Australia’s Steve Smith and Shaun Marsh did so during a tour game against India A at the Brabourne Stadium.
The most recent Indians to be retired out in first-class cricket were KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, during a 2021 game against a County Select XI.
The last instance of a batter retiring out in a clash between two Indian domestic sides came in the 1996-97 Ranji Trophy, when Uttar Pradesh wicketkeeper Manoj Mudgal did so against Rajasthan in Jaipur.
The most recent instance of a batter retiring out after crossing 200 came in 2005, when former New Zealand opener Craig Spearman did so for Gloucestershire against Oxford University Centre of Cricketing Excellence.
Spearman holds the record for the highest score by a batter to retire out in first-class cricket.
The other batters on this list are former Indian cricketer Gogumal Kishenchand (204 for CK Nayudu’s XI vs DB Deodhar’s XI, 1943-44), Aravinda de Silva (202 for Sri Lankans vs Mashonaland Country Districts, 1994-95) and Marvan Atapattu (201 for Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, 2001-02).
Meanwhile, Central Zone declared on 532/4, riding on Malewar’s double hundred, Patidar’s century and half-centuries from wicketkeeper Aryan Juyal and Yash Rathod.
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