At 18, Drona Desai has etched his name into the record books with an astonishing 498-run innings for his school, St Xaviers (Loyola), in the Diwan Ballubhai Cup under-19 multi-day tournament. His marathon knock came against JL English School at the Shivay cricket ground in Gandhinagar on Tuesday, placing him in an elite list of players who have reached such tall scores in Indian cricket history. Desai’s incredible innings, spanning 320 balls, included seven towering sixes and 86 boundaries, dominating the opposition in a fashion rarely seen.
His efforts ensured a resounding innings and 712 runs victory for his team over the opponents, who were already a man down, playing with just 10 players for the entire match; one of the players in the JL English School team, according to Indian Express, walked in late. Despite coming agonisingly close to a monumental 500-run mark, Desai expressed his cheerful emotions after the game. “I wasn’t aware I was so near to 500.
There was no scoreboard, and my team didn’t inform me. I went to play my stroke and got out, but I’m happy to have made those runs,” said Desai, reflecting on his historic performance. Who is Drona Desai? Hailing from Gujarat, Drona Desai has steadily risen through the ranks of youth cricket.
Having already represented the state at the under-14 level, Desai’s recent achievement is bound to draw attention from selectors as he eyes a spot in Gujarat’s under-19 squad. His journey in cricket started at the ten.
