Ali Zoren Khan Record

Nagpur: Ali Zoren Khan, a Std X standard student of Saraswati Vidyalaya, scored a stupendous unbeaten 461 for NCA against Reshimbag Cricket Club on Friday. However, it is still not clear whether left-hander Ali's memorable innings will be recorded as the highest individual score in school cricket. "Since this is a recognized tournament of the Vidarbha Cricket Association, it must be a record but I can't confirm it yet,'' noted statistician Mohandas Menon told TOI.
    "I could have scored 500 but we had a plan to bat till lunch as we needed enough time to bowl them out twice. So no regrets,'' he said. Thanks to Ali Zoren's effort, NCA, resuming at 805 for 4, amassed 1,025 for the loss of 5 wickets in 125 overs. Apart from Ali Zoren, three other batsmen made centuries. Menon was also not able to confirm if the team score was a record.
    Though he was unbeaten on 364 on Day 1 and was chasing a record, Ali Zoren said that he slept well on Thursday night. "My coach told me about Sarfaraz's record and I was determined to cross it. How ever, I decided to play my natural game and didn't miss out on any bad delivery today,'' he said. When the golden moment came, Ali Zoren's celebrations were restrained. It was enough to suggest that no score was satisfying enough for this youngster. Ali Zoren's parents Shalah and Mujaffar Khan, who watched his marathon effort, were on cloud nine. "We hope he continues to work hard and makes us more proud,'' they echoed.
    Ali Zoren, whose elder brother Aman played for Vidarbha Under-15 three years back, is already being looked as a bright Vidarbha prospect. Surprisingly, he started as a bowler but childhood coach Mangesh Pandit saw Ali Zoren's batting potential. "He had natural batting talent. I never stopped Ali Zoren from bowling but made him believe that if he worked hard, he could become a very good batsman. The results are there for everyone to see,'' said Pandit.