Cricket is a game of fine margins, but few margins are as cruel as the single run that stands between a double century and the immortality of a triple. On February 9, 2026, at the Bengal Cricket Academy Ground in Kalyani, Bengal’s Sudip Kumar Gharami felt the full weight of that cruelty.
In a marathon innings that lasted over two days and nearly 600 deliveries, Gharami was clean-bowled by Andhra’s Shaik Rasheed for 299. Magicwin With that dismissal, he became the first Indian ever—and only the third player in the global history of First-Class (FC) cricket—to be dismissed just one run short of a triple century.
The Marathon: 596 Balls of Pure Grit
Walking in at No. 3 on the second afternoon, Gharami didn't just play an innings; he conducted a masterclass in patience.
Balls Faced: 596
Boundaries: 31 Fours, 6 Sixes
Duration: Nearly 10 hours at the crease
Partnerships: A massive 221-run stand with wicketkeeper Shakir Habib Gandhi (95)
His 596-ball stay is now the sixth-longest innings by an Indian in First-Class history, joining an elite list of "marathon men" who have breached the 600-ball mark.
The Fateful Delivery
As Gharami approached the 300-run milestone on Day 4, the tension in Kalyani was palpable. Having surpassed his previous best of 186, he looked set to join Bengal legends Devang Gandhi and Manoj Tiwary in the triple-century club.
However, a delivery from part-time leg-spinner Shaik Rasheed stayed unexpectedly low. Gharami, uncharacteristically beaten by the bounce, saw his off-stump disturbed. The silence that followed was deafening—a standing ovation eventually broke out, but the batter’s face told a story of utter desolation.
Joining the "Unlucky 299 Club"
While many players have finished unbeaten on 299 (including the legendary Sir Don Bradman in 1932 and Maharashtra's Shantanu Sugwekar in 1989), being dismissed on that score is a far rarer and more painful feat.
Gharami now joins an incredibly exclusive list of only three men to be out on 299:
Martin Crowe (New Zealand): vs Sri Lanka, 1991 (Test)
Michael Powell (Glamorgan): vs Gloucestershire, 1998 (FC)
Sudip Gharami (Bengal): vs Andhra, 2026 (FC)
The Silver Lining for Bengal
Despite the personal heartbreak, Gharami’s monumental effort put Bengal in a position of total dominance. Their first-innings total of 629 effectively ended Andhra’s hopes of a semi-final berth. As Bengal prepares to face first-timers Jammu & Kashmir in the semi-finals next week, they do so knowing their top order possesses a batter capable of batting for days.
Sudip Gharami might have missed the 300, but he earned something perhaps more enduring: a permanent place in the record books and the respect of every cricket fan who knows just how hard that 300th run is to find.
