Yahoo News How a schoolboy became the first cricketer to score 1,000 runs in an innings
This article is part of Yahoo's 'On This Day' series.
It was a record that had stood for more than a century – and when 15-year-old schoolboy Pranav Dhanawade broke it, he produced cricket’s first-ever four-figure innings.
Dhanawade, the son of a rickshaw driver in Mumbai, scored 1,009 runs in a single innings in an inter-school match on this day in 2016.
He beat a previous record of 628 set in 1899 by Arthur Collins.
Speaking after the match, Dhanawade said: 'My life has changed because of that innings.
'Before that, no one recognised me. No-one knew that I was Pranav. Now, everybody knows who I am. Yes, yes. A reporter from Wisden came to my house to write an article about me.’
In the wake of his record, he was offered support to play cricket and to study at university.
He said: "Now I have a better chance to achieve my dreams in cricket and play for India. I will have more coaching and I can continue my education after I finish my exams this month.
"Without that innings, my family could not have afforded to pay for me to go to college. Now, people have offered me help with my studies and with cricket."
Dhanawade scored 59 sixes and 127 fours in the innings, which his school KC Gandhi declared at 1,465 against Arya Gurukul School.
The previous record had looked unbeatable for decades, scored in June 1899 by Bristol schoolboy Arthur Edwards Collins.
Collins scored 628 not out for Clarke’s House against North House at Clifton College.
As Dhanawade approached the record, supporters began to cheer – and when he broke the 1,000 barrier, supporters ran onto the pitch.
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Dhanawade said that he started training daily at 6.30am - and said: "I was not thinking of a record. it was not in my mind at all but as soon as I got close to the feat it was clear to me that I could achieve it."
Since the record, some observers have pointed out that Dhanawade had several important advantages – including a small ground, and a weak opposition.
The team Dhanawade was playing against was technically an under-16s team but several players were not allowed to play due to exams.
That means that Dhanawade was playing against a team where some members were 12 or 13.
Since the record, Dhanawade has continued to play cricket, although he has not done so professionally.
In an interview with Hindustan Times this year, he said: ‘The expectation was huge after I got to the record. Every time I walked out to bat, I used to feel the pressure and that on occasions got the better of me. It became difficult for me as I lost focus at times and played a loose shot."
Watch: Opening stuns cricket world
