By Avenash Ramzan
Bhaskar ‘Sachin’ Yadram is no stranger to milestones.
In a prolific career, which is still in its embryonic stage, the 18-year-old has shown remarkable consistency, and a proclivity for seizing the big moments.
He’s the only player to score two centuries in the same match of the Jaguars Franchise League Three-day tournament, doing so for East Coast against Essequibo at the Imam Bacchus ground in 2016.
He was Player-of-the-Series in the West Indies Under-19s’ five-match ODI series against South Africa Under-19s in 2017.
A month after, he claimed a six-wicket haul for Guyana against Leeward Islands in the Regional Under-19 tournament, and in January this year he claimed a five-wicket haul to hand West Indies Under-19s a whopping 222-run victory over Kenya in the Youth World Cup in New Zealand.
RECORD-BREAKER
On Wednesday (April 12, 2018), the tall right-hander added to his bag of achievements, a record-breaking 301 not out for Demerara against the Select Under-17 squad on day two of the opening round of the Hand-in-Hand Inter-county Under-19 Three-day competition at the Everest ground.
“It got to be number one,” Yadram responded when asked by News Room where he would rank the innings among the many others he’s played.
“I haven’t even scored a double century in my life so there’s a first for everything,” he added.
And bowlers beware; Yadram is enjoying the moment so much, he’s looking to make it a habit. “It’s a good feeling, and I’m looking forward to scoring more in the future.”
In a remarkable batting performance, Yadram became the first player to score a triple hundred in Under-19 Inter-county cricket, surpassing the mark of Guyana Jaguars captain and West Indies batsman, Leon Johnson, who scored 193 for Demerara against Essequibo in 2004.
Johnson was quick to congratulate the new record-holder in a social media post on Wednesday:
In the face of scorching heat, Yadram took advantage of the Under-17 bowling attack, blasting 28 fours and incredibly clearing the boundary 17 times.
That’s 214 runs in boundaries or an equivalent of 71% in shots to and beyond the fence in four hours, 23 minutes of absolute carnage.
That he faced just 252 balls- or the equivalent of 42 overs- meant he was striking at 119.44, the type of strike rate that is commonplace in T20 cricket, in a three-day game.
“It’s a good feeling to score a triple century at my home club. I haven’t batted for a month (because) I’ve been taking some rest. The wicket played very nice and I must complement the groundstaff. I just went out and backed myself, played to my own ability, get the ones and twos and score (boundaries) off the bad balls,” he said.
After cantering to 260 not out by stumps on the first day, Yadram said the thoughts of getting to 300 beckoned overnight, and he was determined to reach the landmark the following day.
“I wanted to go on (after getting the triple), but we’re looking to come out with a two for one (an innings victory) so we decided to declare,” Yadram said.
The historic knock propelled Demerara to 489-8 declared, and sure enough it dented the confidence of the Under-17s, who folded to an innings and 56-run defeat on the final day.
REACTIONS
Yadram’s mother, Shamieza, was understandably elated with the feat of the youngest of her three children.
“We are very proud of him. As parents, this is our accolade. This is the second cricketing record he has for Guyana and I believe that he will break many more to come and make a mark on his cricketing career,” she told News Room.
Chandrapaul Tickaram, Secretary of the Enterprise Busta Sports Club, congratulated Yadram and wished him well in the future. Yadram is a product of the East Coast Demerara club.
“We at the Enterprise Busta Sports Club would like to express our profound congratulations to Bhaskar. The executives and members are proud of his achievements so far and we wish him well in al his future endeavours. May he continue to enjoy success and break more records,” Tickaram said.
