Who is Prakhar Chaturvedi? 5 interesting facts about Karnataka U-19 batter who scored 404* in Cooch Behar Trophy final
Karnataka cricketer Prakhar Chaturvedi created history recently by becoming the first batter to score a 400 in the final of the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy. He achieved the feat in the summit clash against Mumbai at the KSCA Navule Stadium in Shimoga.
With his 404*, Chaturvedi broke Yuvraj Singh's 24-year-old record of 358 runs, which was the previous highest individual score in the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy final. His knock is also the second highest on the list of highest individual scores in the tournament after Vijay Zol's 451 not-out for Maharashtra against Assam in 2011-12.
Opening the innings for Karnataka in the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy final, he amassed 404* off 638 balls, a knock laced with 46 fours and three sixes. Thanks to Chaturvedi’s record knock, Karnataka posted 890 for 8 in 223 overs, responding to Mumbai's 380 all out. Karnataka thus won the final based on taking the first-innings lead.
In the wake of Chaturvedi’s record-breaking performance, here are five interesting facts about the Karnataka U-19 batter.
#1 Prakhar Chaturvedi’s parents have an esteemed academic background
Chaturvedi belongs to a family with a reputed academic background. According to a report in The Indian Express, his father Sanjay Chaturvedi is a software engineer who now has his start-up, while his mother is a scientist with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The cricketer’s father told The Indian Express:
“We are from Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, but I have been living in Bengaluru for more than two decades now. I am an IIT BHU pass-out myself, and obviously, I wanted him to focus on his studies, but for the past couple of years, cricket has taken over. He has good grades in Class XII and is now in BA first year and is pursuing economics.”
#2 He started training at SIX Academy as an 11-year-old
As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, Chaturvedi first began training at SIX Academy in 2017 as an 11-year-old. The academy is based at the Padukone-Dravid Centre of Sports Excellence in Bangalore.
Praising him, K Jeshwant, a former Karnataka all-rounder, who now coaches Chaturvedi at the SIX Academy, said:
"There are 400 players in the academy, and at that age when he first came in, he was one among this large group. Everyone has that one year where they make the next step up. Prakhar's step up came in 2020-21. There was a lot of maturity to him, the way he handled setbacks, the way he trained and prepared.”
#3 Chaturvedi used to travel around 100 km every day
Chaturvedi has had to put in a lot of hard yards to pursue his cricketing dream. He had to travel around 100 km every day for cricket training.
While speaking to the Indian Express, the batter’s father revealed that they live in Electronic City, while the academy is 50 km away in Devanahalli.
“It is like the other side of the city. He has done his hard yards,” Chaturvedi father said in praise of his son.
Later, Jeshwant spoke to the batter’s father and urged him to arrange a throwdown specialist for the cricketer to reduce a bit of travel fatigue.
After that, Chaturvedi started coming to the academy and staying at the residential facility whenever he had holidays from junior college.
#4 Chaturvedi was left out of the state U-19 team
Chaturvedi’s performance is likely to mark a sensational turnaround in his fortunes. He was not selected in the state’s U-19. Before that, he was not picked in the U-16 squad as well.
Jeshwant has been quoted as saying in media reports that they had to make a presentation in front of the selectors to make them believe that he is a quality cricketer.
“He's a great example for players who get dejected when they miss the India selection for the Under-19 World Cup. I won't be surprised if he gets called into the senior Karnataka squad almost immediately,” Jeshwant told ESPNcricinfo about Chaturvedi’s moment in the spotlight.
#5 Rahul Dravid's son Samit is his teammate and good friend
Chaturvedi is very close to teammate Samit Dravid, who also happens to be the son of legendary former Indian captain and head coach Rahul Dravid.
About his bond with Samit, Chaturvedi told CricketNext.com in an interview:
“I have been playing with Samit since U10. I have known him for a very long time, we are very close and in fact, we have had some good partnerships as well during the academy games or club games. This is the first time we are playing for the state together.”
Chaturvedi has also met Rahul Dravid on a few occasions. On what advice he received from the Indian great, the youngster said:
“I have had a chat with him quite a number of times. He has told me one thing that whenever you practice in the nets, just imagine that you are playing in a match situation. Ask the bowlers their field placements and play accordingly.”
Meanwhile, Yuvraj, whose record Chaturvedi recently broke, took to his official X handle and congratulated the youngster, asserting that the future of Indian cricket is in safe hands.