‘Disappointed not to touch Amol sir’s 260’

Suved Parkar

If Day One belonged to Mumbai in their Ranji Trophy quarter-finals against Uttarakhand at Alur, near Bangalore, on Monday, Day Two was even better for the 41-time champions.

Debutant Suved Parkar, who scored 104 on the first day, lived up to his promise (he had told mid-day that he would take fresh guard in his quest for a big score) and hammered 252 to join a list of 12 debut double centurions in Indian cricket, which includes his state coach Amol Muzumdar (260 v Haryana in 1993-94) and India batting great Gundappa Viswanath, who hit 230 for Mysore against Andhra Pradesh at Vijayawada in 1967-68.

Mumbai's Suved Parkar (left) with coach Amol Muzumdar at Alur yesterday

"I batted as per plan. I didn't want to stop after getting a hundred. It felt very good to score a double century in my very first game. I was a bit tired on Monday night. I slept well and was ready for a fresh to the day," Suved Parkar told mid-day from Alur on Tuesday night.

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Parkar's innings ended in a run out when he pushed one to the covers and set off for a run. By then, he had struck 21 boundaries and four sixes in his 447-ball innings. "Today [Tuesday] my shots were more perfect, placed well into the gaps. Sarfaraz [Khan] and I were talking to each other about rotating the strike and take it ball-by-ball," he added.

Suved Parkar celebrates his double century yesterday. Pic/BCCI

He had no qualms in admitting that he regretted not emulating coach Muzumdar's 260. "I was batting on 162 at lunch. I was not thinking about breaking Amol sir's [Muzumdar] Mumbai record but Adu da [Aditya Tare] reminded me of the record. I felt then that it would be good to reach that mark. Yes, I felt bad that I missed it and that too, through a run out - a direct hit. However, I scored 252 in my debut match, which is a good achievement. I want to carry on with the same determination in the next matches.

Meanwhile, teammate Sarfaraz continued his supreme form to post his third 150-plus score in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. His 153 (14x4, 4x6) helped Prithvi Shaw declare the Mumbai innings at 647-8. Uttarakhand ended Day Two on 39-2. The attacking batsman is also the leading run-scorer with 704 at 140.80.

Sarfaraz Khan

Sarfaraz, who shared a 267-run fourth-wicket stand with Parkar, praised Parkar's mature innings. He said: "I once played with Suved in an U-23 game. He has improved a lot [since then]. If he continues playing such innings, Mumbai cricket will benefit a lot. He has tremendous patience. Scoring a double ton in your first match is a dream debut and I feel very happy for him."

About his own effort, Sarfaraz said: "There is something special about this century as I crossed the 700-run mark in four games this season. I am enjoying defending and attacking," Sarfaraz, 24, told mid-day.

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There was another reason behind Sarfaraz's delight over his seventh first-class ton in his 23rd Ranji game. "One thing that was definitely on my mind was the fact that my younger brother Musheer is in the Mumbai team. I wanted to show him my batting, so that he could learn something whenever he gets the opportunity to perform. This knock is like a demo for him," he said.

Sarfaraz was clean bowled while playing a sweep shot to left-arm spinner Mayank Mishra. However, the right-hander has no regrets. "I feel good that I scored a hundred and then got to 150. Everyday is not your day. I am totally pleased with my knock. I had nothing to regret as I got out while sweeping. I will have no regrets even if I get out 10 times, playing that shot," he remarked.

Brief scores
Mumbai 647-8d (S Parkar 252, S Khan 153; A Jaffer 60; D Dhapola 3-89) v Uttarakhand 39-2 (K Singh 27'; T Deshpande 1-13, M Avasthi 1-12)