Who is Sakibul Gani? All you need to know about the world record holder in first-class cricket

Sakibul Gani, a name that many would not have known has rewritten records with a triple century on his first-class debut for his state side Bihar in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. Coming into bat at 71 for three, Gani managed a humungous partnership of 538 runs for the fourth wicket with Babul Kumar to make sure that the Bihar side was on top against the Mizoram side in the Plate match at the Jadavpur University Campus 2nd Ground, Kolkata.

Gani’s innings of 341 in 405 deliveries comprised of 56 fours and two sixes with a strike rate of 84.20 and he made merry of the Mizoram bowlers. Prior to this match, Gani had played 14 List A games scoring 377 runs with a fifty and a century and has played 11 T20 games as well since his debut in 2019.

The 22-year-old is now at the top of the elite list for the highest scores on first-class debut with the likes of Ajay Rohera and Amol Mazumdar in second and third places respectively. However, no batter in the world has been able to score a triple century on their first-class debut and Gani has now entered the record books with a massive start to his red-ball career.

Sakibul Gani’s recent numbers in domestic cricket

Sakibul Gani had a decent run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 as well with stupendous innings of 94 in 70 balls against Meghalaya in Jaipur. The right-hander hit three sixes and ten fours coming in at five and almost took his side to victory as they lost by just one run in the end. The fact that he can also bowl some medium pacers makes him a serious contenderfor India in the future as the search for the bowling all-rounder continues.

Along with Gani, there were many centurions on the first day of the Ranji Trophy season and the former will definitely be one of the names talked about for converting into a big knock. It will be interesting to see if he can continue his good form throughout the season.

Moreover, Sakibul Gani has a humble family background and hails from East Champaran district in Motihari. In an interaction with News9 Sports, Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma told how he has improved in recent years after not even knowing how to approach his game at one stage.

“He comes from a very humble background in Bihar. He is a local lad and a very talented cricketer. People are noticing him now but he did well in Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Before throwing him straight into Ranji Trophy, we had sent him to play some cricket in Mumbai where he was impressive too. We have no doubt about his talent.

“He had no clue on how to approach professional cricket and that is where we stepped in and made him and his family understand that he is a very good talent. Players playing in domestic cricket don’t garner the limelight often unless they are part of a heavyweight team or associated with IPL and that is where the role of coaches, administrators, scouts become very important. We are glad, we brought him to the right track and he is proving his worth now,” he said.