Chinmay Sutar: Father takes down Shane Warne, son makes history with Ranji Trophy 400

A rare piece of history was made in an otherwise lackluster Ranji Trophy match last week. Chinmay Sutar playing for Mizoram smashed only the second quadruple century recorded in the competition’s 92-year history. The innings places him alongside BB Nimbalkar, who was unbeaten for Maharashtra against Kathiawar in 1948-49.

Sutar’s 400* was also only the second time a quadruple century had been scored in first-class cricket since Brian Lara’s 400* against England in 2004. Photo: Star Sports

Sutar, 29, went through a range of emotions during his shifts. It started with hunger, excitement to hit his maiden century in red-ball cricket and prove people wrong. After surviving the moving ball during the first hour, Suthar got into his groove and patiently raked in runs as others fell around him. As the pitch cleared and Suthar realized that there were runs to be made on this wicket, a sense of relief came over him. He added 168 runs with Jehu Anderson at No.6 before again facing a bottom-order collapse.

With Mizoram nine down, Sutar found an ally in last man Lalrempuia Chhakchhuak. The batsman knew that without scoring 450 runs on this wicket, it would be difficult for the Mizo side to get 3 points from the first innings lead.

So the pair got to work.

Sutar and Lalrempuia put on 189 runs for the last wicket of the match – the third highest last wicket partnership in its Ranji Trophy history. Lalrempuia took body shots in his 76-ball innings while Sutar scored most of the runs himself.

“When I got to 100, it was the biggest relief because in the previous match (first-class debut) I had got out for 99. After that I just wanted to contribute more and make it a big innings. I never thought about giving 200, 250 or 300. When I got 200 and then 250, I was thinking about what the team needed 200 in the morning. down and I just wanted to get more points,” Sutar told IndiaToday.in over phone.

“We were around 350/8 and I thought I wanted to help the team get past 450. I kept talking to my partners about building small partnerships of 20 or 25 runs to get past that score,” he added.

It wasn’t until around 380 runs that he finally realized what had happened. The locker room cheered and even the rivals were talking about a possible milestone.

declared Mizoram after Sutar reached 400. He returned to the dressing room to a standing ovation from both dugouts. Mizoram had 581 runs on board and it mattered.

After the day’s play was over, his first phone call went straight to his father – Rajesh Sutar. Rajesh Sutar with Vinod Kambli. (Photo: Instagram/Omtex ICWC)

RAJESH SUTAR AND THE LEGEND OF SHANE WARN

Chinmayo’s father Rajesh was well known for his six-hitting streak in Mumbai cricket in the 1990s. He played 7 Ranji Trophy matches and 30 List A matches representing Mumbai in his career. For someone who never played for the national team, Rajesh’s most famous red-ball innings came against Australia when Steve Waugh’s team toured India in 1998.

Rajesh Sutar, batting alongside Sachin Tendulkar in the tournament game for Mumbai, joined in a formidable match against none other than Shane Warne. Sutar and Sachin bowled out Australia for 97 runs in just 15 overs. Shane Warne and Australia had a tough time against Mumbai in a tour match in 1998. (Photo by Reuters)

Sutar’s 45 off 43 balls was made in one-day style and also included six fours, leaving Sachin unbeaten on 204 at the other end.

Naturally, Chinmay grew up in a house that was devoted to cricket.

But while his father’s exploits against Australia became a familiar story in the family, Chinmayo’s own journey through Mumbai cricket was a much longer exercise in patience.

CHINMAY SUTAR MORNING TIME

Born in Mulund, Chinmay spent his early childhood in Chinchani, a coastal town in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, where his father grew up. His uncle and grandfather also played cricket and watching them was what first drew him to the game. There was no pressure to follow in his father’s footsteps. He just loved being around cricket.

The family moved to Thane when Chinmayo was around 11 or 12 years old, partly to give him better opportunities to play the sport. He started off as a biker who idolized none other than Shane Warne, likely for the under-14 and under-16 teams in Mumbai. After scoring runs for his school and club, he gradually shifted his focus to batting.

He eventually captained the U-23 team in Mumbai and led the team in four matches in the CK Naidu Trophy. He also represented India Emerging in the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup where he scored a century against Hong Kong.

However, the progress did not translate into a regular place in Mumbai’s senior team. Photo: Instagram/Gold Monk Visuals

WAITING FOR A BREAK IN MUMBAI

Of all the domestic sides in the country, Mumbai is perhaps the hardest to get to. The team was already loaded with established cricketers and the competition became even more intense in 2023 when the BCCI mandated centrally contracted players to turn up for home matches. For someone still waiting to break through at a higher level, opportunities have been harder to come by.

Chinmay continued to score runs from the senior team. But even a fruitful run in the Mumbai Premier League didn’t change his fortunes much.

When Maratha Royals won the 2025 Mumbai Premier League, Chinmay top scored in that series with 271 runs from 7 matches. Earlier this season, as Maratha defended their title, Chinmay was again among the runs – finishing as the fifth highest run-scorer in the league. Photo: Instagram/Maratha Royals

He continued to score but a place in Mumbai’s senior team remained elusive. That was probably the last straw.

“I was among the top scorers but I still wasn’t picked in probability. I think that made me think of changing the team. Then I got an opportunity from Mizoram and I transferred,” he said.

Leaving Mumbai was difficult. He spent his entire cricketing life there and dreamed of playing Ranji Trophy for his side. But at 29, he was desperate to make his Ranji Trophy debut, prompting him to leave.

FLIGHT FROM LONDON TO MIZORAM

When Mizoram called him for trials, Chinmay was in England playing for Brondesbury Cricket Club. From 2023 he traveled to Great Britain for club cricket, finishing as the league’s top scorer in his first full season there with Folkestone Cricket Club in Kent.

He wasn’t sure if going back to India for the trial would lead anywhere. His father encouraged him to take the chance, reminding him that playing as a visiting professional for Mizoram would bring both opportunity and responsibility. Photo: Instagram/Chinmay Sutar

Chinmay flew from London to India, attended the rehearsals, which lasted barely two hours, and returned to England. Two weeks later he was told he had been selected.

Chinmay has not forgotten the people who helped shape his career in Mumbai. He speaks with particular fondness of Abhishek Nayar, who mentored the Maratha Royals, and Siddesh Lad, the current Mumbai captain.

“I learned a lot from Abhishek Nayar, who mentored our team,” he said.

He also remembers sharing the dressing room with Rohit Sharma during last year’s Vijay Hazare Trophy. Rohit’s presence, he said, changed the atmosphere in the room. For the young cricketer who grew up wanting to play for Mumbai, it was one of his favorite moments with the team.

But that’s in the past. Now he has put himself on the map, certainly in cricketing circles at least, for his rare feat of 400, which only a few cricketers in the world can boast of.

Asked if he would return if Mumbai called him back, Chinmay did not offer a definitive answer.

“I don’t know. I don’t have an answer to that because I like to stay in the present and not think about what’s coming in the future,” he said.

For now, the focus is on Mizoram. The team is in the Plate Group and he wants to help them win matches and gain promotion to the elite division. The 400 secured his place in Ranji Trophy history, but his immediate ambition, shaped by years of rejection, is more practical: to help the team that finally gave him a chance at red-ball cricket.

– The end