Controversy over Pant's Ranji century record ; ex-player claims he scored 42-ball ton
Rishabh Pant's fastest-ever Ranji century record created yesterday has met with controversy after former Himachal Pradesh player Shakti Singh claimed today that the record belongs to him. Singh claims to have scored a 42-ball century against Haryana in 1990 although his stats are undocumented.
Earlier, on Tuesday, prodigious Delhi-opener Rishabh Pant butchered the Jharkhand bowlers to score his fourth 100-plus score from as many matches in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. He took only 48 deliveries to get to the landmark to score the fastest-ever century in Indian domestic circuit.
But refuting the stats, former Himachal Pradesh cricketer and current BCCI match referee Shakti Singh claimed that the record belongs to him as he has slammed a 42-ball century against Haryana in the 1990-91 Ranji Trophy.
Singh, who played for both Himachal Pradesh and Delhi, said, "The unofficial stat is I got to my century in 42 balls. That was the time when there were no official scorers and scoring was done by the team members. I remember going in at number eight and started to hit my shots and it was only when I neared by fifty that they (team members) started to count. I got to my fifty in 18 balls with two fours and seven sixes. I went on to hit three more fours and five more sixes and hardly blocked four or five deliveries. But the number of balls was not recorded. However, my official time registered to get to the 100 was 59 minutes," reported the Times of India.
He went on to add, "And the interesting fact about that knock was that a day before I was admitted to the ICU (intensive care unit) owing to stomach cramps and the doctors had told me that I cannot play the next day. But our team was batting and I was sitting in the pavilion all day until it was my time to bat."
Singh played competitive cricket for over 15 years until his retirement in the year 2003. He played for both Himachal Pradesh and Delhi and scored 1416 runs at an average of just above 17 and also took 200 wickets from 58 first-class games. Currently working as an officer with the Central Board of Excise and Customs, Singh is also acting as a match referee with the BCCI and has been officiating in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.