Samad Fallah becomes Maharashtra’s highest wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy

He was once taunted for being a fast bowler but as all champions do, Maharashtra new-ball bowler Samad Fallah never lost sight of his track and reaped the benefits on Friday when he became the team’s leading wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy, eclipsing Iqbal Siddiqui’s tally of 259 scalps. Fallah’s special moment came in the game against arch-rivals Mumbai in Pune where the latter won the toss and elected to field.

Fallah’s record-making wicket was that of Mumbai opener Jay Bista. Both Maharashtra and Mumbai are looking for their first win of this season and have four points from three games though the 41-time champions are a tad better placed in Elite Group A owing to a superior run-rate. Maharashtra scored 352 runs in their first innings and Mumbai were 196 for 5 at the end of Day 2 of the match, requiring 157 more to take a crucial lead.

I never even thought of playing Ranji

Fallah, 33, however, was at his moderate best after making the record. “Forget about picking 260 wickets, I had never ever dreamt of playing even a single Ranji Trophy as a teenager, so this is a real special day. I may have overtaken Iqbal bhai’s tally but for me, he would always be the best pace bowler ever,” the cricketer was quoted as saying by Sportstar.

He has played 73 first-class games since making debut in November 2007, was selected for Mumbai’s Under-22 team at the age of 19 through open trials but a personal tragedy stopped him from going ahead to showcase his talent. He was away from cricket for two years and even after he returned, he kept his cricketing feats hidden from his father who runs an Irani restaurant.

“My father didn’t even know I had started playing cricket so when Munaf (Patel, the former Maharashtra and India bowler) called him and told him I was selected for Maharashtra, he didn’t believe it. In fact, he believed in it only after reading the papers next morning,” the bowler was quoted as saying.

Fallah, who thanked his mother and all other well-wishers for supporting him through his journey, feels content today that his father, who had once objected to his return to the game, now has exhibited the walls of his eatery with his son’s pictures and statistics.

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from Indian domestic cricket, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.