Drona Desai is the latest to join the elite list of record-breaking young Indian cricketers. The Gujarat teenager Drona Desai entered his name in the record books by scoring a mammoth 498 runs for his school, St. Xavier’s (Loyola), against JL English School in the Diwan Ballubhai Cup Under-19 multi-day tournament. Desai’s sensational individual batting performance dwarves the overall team totals scored in red-ball cricket in this day and age. Desai played the monumental knock in the annual Diwan Ballubhai Cup organised by the Central Board of Cricket Ahmedabad under the Gujarat Cricket Association. Following the record-breaking innings, Desai became only the sixth cricketer in the country to surpass the 400-run mark in a single innings at the under-19 level. Desai’s 320-ball knock was laced with seven sixes and 86 boundaries. No surprise that his team registered a dominant win by an innings and 712 runs. Desai joins elite list With this remarkable knock, Desai joined a prestigious list, which includes Mumbai’s Pranav Dhanawade (1009*), Prithvi Shaw (546), Dr. Havewalla (515), Chamanlal (506*), and Arman Jaffer (498). Desai’s nonchalant response after the monumental knock is also winning hearts. “I wasn’t aware I was so near to 500. There was no scoreboard, and my team didn’t inform me. I went to play my stroke and got out, but I’m happy to have made those runs,” Desai told Indian Express after the match. Who is Drona Desai? Desai’s cricketing journey started at the age of seven and just like millions of kids, he also idolised legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar. His talent and dedication got him selected for Gujarat’s under-14 team and court of his marathon knock, Desai now dreams of playing in the state’s under-19 squad. Desai’s father and renowned coach Jayprakash Patel have played key roles in his development as a cricketer. The youngster credits his father for encouraging him to play cricket at a young age and his coach for shaping his technical abilities. Desai’s 498-run knock is certain to attract national attention and the youngster must use this landmark achievement as a stepping stone towards his dream of playing professional cricket.