PANAJI: When
Darpan Pagui
was just four years old, he picked up the bat and swung it so well that his father, Dinesh, was convinced that his son had a future in
cricket
.
He took him to a government cricket coach in the vicinity, started training at the Agonda ground, and 10 years later, at the same venue, the youngster rewrote Goan cricket’s history books with an innings that left many in complete disbelief.
Five hundred runs on a single day, from a single batsman? How is that possible? Well, if you are as experienced as the 14-year-old at the junior level and playing against novices, anything is possible.
“I didn’t think about scoring so many runs. I just wanted to stay at the wicket and play the whole day. I have learned to respect the opposition. Just one good ball is enough to end my inning. Once I started hitting the ball properly, runs simply flowed,” Darpan told TOI on Friday.
Darpan struck his century in just 58 balls with 16 boundaries and two towering sixes. His double hundred came in 106 balls, and when he reached 300 runs from 178 balls, he knew he could go on to make a record score. So, he simply kept batting, scoring 510 at the end of first day’s play and then adding another 44 runs the next day as Katyayani Baneshwar Vidyalaya’s declared their innings when he was unbeaten on 554. The school scored 996-2 in 103.3 overs.
“I knew he would score big against Government School (Agonda) but I didn’t want to say anything to him and pressurise. He has two years of experience (in junior cricket) and that made a lot of difference,” said his father, Dinesh.
Since scoring his first century in an under-13 tournament in Vasco in 2017, Darpan has scored six centuries, four of them unbeaten, but nothing close to the 554 he managed in the
GCA
U-14 President’s Cup (Canacona zone) cricket tournament at Agonda early this week.
Coached by Sports Authority of Goa’s Ulhas Desai since he was a kid, Darpan was recommended to former Ranji cricketer Sandeep Naik in Fatorda six years ago and the coach who has unearthed talents like Amogh Desai, Keenan Vaz, Sumiran Amonkar, Darshan Misal and Suyash Prabhudesai, instantly recognised his talent.
“I always found him very determined, more than the others. He travels from Canacona (to Fatorda for training), even though I tell him it’s fine if he is here for three days a week.
“His character is completely different. Maybe because he hails from a remote village (Khola) in Canacona. The stamina, endurance and strength is really good. He must now live up to his big-scoring reputation,” said coach Sandeep.
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