Pranav Dhanawade: Mumbai’s talented batsman Pranav Dhanawade shot him into the limelight after he scored a record-breaking knock of unbeaten 1009 off just 323 balls during an HT Bhandari Cup inter-school tournament game for Arya Gurukul School back in 2015.
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Life changed for young Dhanawade, who comes from a humble background as instant recognition poured in.
In a chat with Ankit Banerjee of CricketCountry, Dhanawade recalls Tendulkar calling him over for dinner at his residence and gifting him an autographed bat.
During the conversation, the now 21-year old also revealed his batting idol and the IPL team he would love to play for someday.
When asked about his interaction with Tendulkar, Dhanawade proudly claims that he was invited by the former to his place.
“I am Arjun Tendulkar’s friend and after the knock, I was invited to Sachin’s house. It was like a dream come true for me. He (Sachin) also gifted me a bat and wished me luck.”
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Interestingly, contrary to all expectations, Sachin Tendulkar does not happen to be Dhanawade’s batting idol, instead, it is Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma.
In awe of MI skipper’s lazy elegance, Dhanawade explained the way Rohit builds his innings is something one can learn so much from.
“Rohit Sharma any day. I love the way he builds his innings. He takes his time initially but once he gets his eye in, he is unstoppable. There is so much one can learn from him. I have not met him as yet but would love to,” he added.
Dhanawade, who feels pandemic has set back his cricketing plans, expressed his desire to play for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, someday.
“Mumbai Indians obviously! I am from this place and I would surely love to be a part of that star-studded unit,” he further added.
However, things didn’t go as planned for Pranav after scoring that record-breaking knock whereas players of his age like Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill took giant strides at the top level.
Dhanawade looks back at the missed opportunities and also stated that there was a lot of pressure and expectations after he scored the magnificent knock.
