Who is Pratham Singh? 5 interesting facts about India A opener who scored 122 in Duleep Trophy 2024 clash
Pratham Singh has announced himself on the domestic stage with a terrific performance for India A in the ongoing Duleep Trophy game against India D in Anantapur. Although he was dismissed for seven in the first innings, Pratham slammed 122 off 189 in the second.
Pratham's knock was special as he was up against the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Vidhwath Kaverappa, and experienced spinner Saurabh Kumar. Interestingly, the 32-year-old replaced Shubman Gill, who joined the Indian team for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
Making his domestic debut in 2017, Pratham Singh has garnered around 3,800 runs in 98 appearances across all formats, with three centuries and 26 fifties. On that note, let's take a look at a few interesting facts about the talented opening batter.
#1 Hails from UP, Stays in Delhi and plays for Railways
Although Pratham Singh hails from Akbarpur district in Uttar Pradesh, he currently resides in Delhi. It is mainly due to Railways' home ground being the Karnail Singh Stadium in the nation's capital.
Notably, the BCCI approved the venue to host the Ranji Trophy games in the 2020 season. However, it was deemed unfit in December 2022, after 24 wickets fell in just four sessions.
#2 Pursued MBA from ISB Hyderabad
Pratham Singh obtained a bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communication from the J.S.S. Academy of Technical Education in 2015. The talented athlete prepared hard for GMAT during COVID-19 and scored 700/800 and got an offer to pursue an MBA from the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad.
However, he decided to defer the offer due to his desire to focus on cricket. Interestingly, the college management approved his request and gave him surety of admission after he stops playing.
Nevertheless, Pratham enrolled in the MBA program last year at ISB and graduated this year.
#3 Pratham Singh was part of Gujarat Lions and Kolkata Knight Riders
Early in his career, Pratham was bought by Gujarat Lions for ₹10 lakh in the IPL 2017 auction. However, he didn't get to play any of the games for the side.
In the IPL 2022 auction, the top-order batter was roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹20 lakh. This time too he didn't get a chance to feature in the XI and was released from the squad later in the same year.
#4 Scored four consecutive fifties in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019
Pratham Singh made his T20 debut for Railways in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2019 against Haryana. He garnered 40 off 30 balls to help the team seal an 189-run chase.
Interestingly, Pratham ended as the tournament's third-highest run-getter on the back of 438 runs in 10 innings at an average of 54.75. He scored four consecutive fifties, a tournament record at that time.
Notably, Riyan Parag broke his record by slamming six fifties on the trot in the last SMAT season.
#5 Railways’ highest run-getter in 2023-24 Ranji Trophy
Pratham Singh rose to prominence by emerging as the Railways' top batter in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season. He amassed 530 runs in seven games at a prolific average of 48.18.
His last appearance in the tournament saw him score his maiden first-class century. The skillful batter remained unbeaten on 169 off 300 to secure a successful chase of 378 against Tripura.