Indian cricketer Virag Mare breaks Guinness record for longest net session

Eight years after financial difficulties had forced aspiring cricketer Virag Mare to leave the very cricket academy that had produced Sachin Tendulkar, he has finally achieved his dream of etching his name in cricket legend.

Batting for three days and two nights at a stretch, the 24-year-old Pune-based amateur cricketer broke the Guinness record of the longest individual net session on Thursday. He had started the feat at 9.30 am on December 22 and retired from the session a little before noon on December 24.

He batted for 50 hours, breaking the previous record of 48 hours set by English duo, Dave Newman and Richard Wells, setting a new benchmark for fans of this record – a record requiring immense strength of mind and body, as well as an unmatched passion for the sport.

Mare had travelled to Ramakant Achrekar’s famous academy as a 16-year-old, in dreams of representing his country, but his stay there lasted only a few months because his money ran out. With luck also running out, he shifted to Pune and started a vada pav stall, using the money to fund his education.

He never lost his passion for cricket though, and after years of practice, has now put his name alongside one record that will be almost impossible to beat. Playing at the Mahalaxmi Lawns in Karve Nagar, he faced 2,447 overs, i.e. 14,682 balls, in exactly 50 hours, five minutes and 51 seconds.

Worked hard to fulfill this dream: Mare

As per Guinness rules, Mare was faced with actual bowlers as well as a bowling machine. The bowling had to be at a consistent rate, and so he took breaks – in the beginning, he took a break of 25 minutes after playing for 5 hours straight; from Wednesday onwards, he had to take a break after every hour or two.

There was a time around the halfway mark when he had thought he would give up, but the sight of his father who had come all the way from his native village to support him, reportedly egged him on.

“I don’t have words to express my emotions. The reason why I am able to talk merely 2-3 hours after I broke the record because I love this game. I had worked really hard to fulfill this dream,” Mare told Indian Express.

“We had thought of crossing the 15,000 balls mark. But he was already very tired. It would’ve been wrong to stretch him beyond his limit,” said Ramdas Potale, his friend and organiser of the event.

When Newman and Wells set the record of 48 hours, British Prime Minister David Cameron had come to cheer for them. There has been little or no attention paid as yet to the Indian braveheart who has bettered their feat.