With an unbeaten 359, Samit Gohil not only batted Gujarat into the semi-final of the Ranji Trophy 2016-17 but also rewrote the record books. The opener registered the highest individual score by an opening bat while carrying his bat through the innings in first-class cricket. His knock is the joint fourth highest individual score in the history of the prestigious tournament.
However, Gohil wasn’t aware of the records he had surpassed until they were bowled out for 641. “I was batting normally like I always do. The team’s plan was to keep batting. It was only when the match was over that I came to know that this (359*) is a world record,” he told BCCI.TV later.
“I don’t know what to say about this innings. I was only thinking about helping my team qualify for the semis. I was ensuring that I don’t play any loose shots. It is my responsibility to ensure that the team wins, so I was playing accordingly,” he mentioned.
Speaking about shaping the innings, Gohil said, “I was batting normally. I was instructed that we have to bat as long as we can so, so I batted accordingly. It was a five-day game and we were batting again early on the third day. There was help in the wicket and Odisha bowlers were bowling well so I (focused on) converting the loose balls. I focused on singles and kept my mindset positive, which benefitted me.
“Our captain Parthiv Patel told me, ‘You have good skills just keep a positive mindset and play. Don’t think too much. Keep taking the singles and build your innings. I followed that throughout the season and it helped,” said Gohil.
When Gohil resumed his knock on the final day on 261, he only had No 10 and No 11 batsmen - Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Patel - to bat with. Both backed him and gave him confidence to carry on, he said while speaking about their support.
“I continued the work on fitness done during the off-season, which has helped. Also, I had done well in the league matches and drew confidence from that,” he said while reflecting on the 723-ball knock.
“He was good but was very defensive so at the end of the day, the runs would be less and the deliveries consumed would be way more. We had one-to-one meeting ahead of the season with him and asked him to change his approach. He is a good learner. Our coaches have worked a lot on him and he has transformed his batting,” coach Vijay Patel said while speaking about the batsman.
“I am happy (to have scored 359), it feels good that all the hard work has borne fruit,” he concluded.
