Assam captain Riyan Parag has etched his name in history by scoring the second-fastest century in the Ranji Trophy. He achieved this feat in just 56 balls against Chhattisgarh, in the opening match of the 2024 season, as Parag carried his stellar form from the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy into the Ranji Trophy.
In an innings, where he lacked support from the other end, Parag fought like a lone warrior, smashing 155 runs off 87 balls. This remarkable innings places him second only to the dynamic Rishabh Pant, who holds the record of the fastest first-class hundred by an Indian cricketer. His 48-ball century came against Jharkhand in the 2016-17 season. Parag surpassed Naman Ojha from Madhya Pradesh, who hit a 69-ball ton against Karnataka, in the 2014-15 season.
Notably, Parag’s 56-ball century stands as the fourth-fastest century by an Indian in first-class cricket. Brendon McCullum, the current England coach, achieved the landmark in just 54 balls, in a Test match against Australia, in 2016.
Parag arrived in the middle with the team in a spot of bother at 78/3. The right-handed batter aggressively attacked the bowlers, scoring runs across the ground despite lack of support from his teammates. With 11 fours and 12 sixes, his knock helped Assam reach a total of 254 in Raipur.
This outstanding knock is Parag’s second First-Class century and also his highest score in the format. Alongside two centuries, he has notched up 10 fifties in 26 games, accumulating a total of 1,583 runs at an average of over 33. Additionally, with his off-spin, Parag has taken 49 wickets at an average of 36.73, including a solitary five-wicket haul.
Despite Parag’s heroics, Assam are all set to suffer a crushing defeat in their opening-round match against Chhattisgarh, who posted 327 runs in their first innings. In response, Parag and his team could only manage 159 runs in the first innings, with the captain contributing just eight runs.
Chhattisgarh enforced the follow-on, and despite Parag’s record-breaking century in the second innings, Assam could only reach a total of 254 runs, in front by 86 runs.