Ranji Trophy run machine: Chinmay Sutar follows historic 400 with century
Chinmay Sutar shows no signs of slowing down. The 29-year-old continued his sensational start to the Ranji Trophy season by scoring a record 400 with another century for Mizoram against Meghalaya in the Plate Group match at the Gokulbhai Somabhai Patel Stadium in Nadiad.
Sutar batted 125 off 215 balls, hitting 12 fours, scoring his second consecutive hundred and scoring 659 runs in his first four first-class innings. In the process, he surpassed Australia’s Will Ponsford, who scored 616 runs in his first four first-class innings more than a century ago, to set a new record.
The latest blow came just days after Sutar produced one of the most spectacular innings in Ranji Trophy history. Facing Nagaland in Sovima, a left-hander smashed an unbeaten 400 off 517 deliverieswith 46 fours and seven sixes, he became only the second batsman to score a quadruple in the tournament.
Only Maharashtra’s Bharasheb Nimbalkar, who scored an unbeaten 443 against Kathiawar in 1948-49, has scored more in a Ranji Trophy innings. Sutar’s effort also made him only the 10th batsman in first-class cricket history to reach 400 runs in an innings, joining the list of Brian Lara, Don Bradman and Ponsford.
His last century further underlined the consistency behind his extraordinary start. Sutar began his first-class career against Manipur earlier this month with scores of 35 and 99, narrowly missing out on a maiden hundred after being run out. He then converted that near-miss into history against Nagaland before backing it up with another substantial contribution against Meghalaya.
Sutar’s rise was particularly striking given the journey he took to reach this point. The Mumbai batsman, who made a name for himself in the city’s local competitive cricket circuit, moved to Mizoram ahead of the 2026-27 season after struggling to secure regular opportunities in Mumbai’s red-ball set-up.
He represented Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s domestic one-day competition, but his ambition remained to play first-class cricket regularly. Mizoram offered him the opportunity and he responded with a string of scores that put him in the record books.
His 400 against Nagaland was built on patience and perseverance, including an unbroken last-wicket partnership of 190 runs with Lalrempuia Chhakchhuak. Now with another century under his belt, Sutar is turning a remarkable start into a season to remember.
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