Mizoram batter Chinmay Sutar has written his name into Indian cricket history with an unbeaten 400 against Nagaland in the Ranji Trophy Plate Group. Batting in Sovima, Nagaland, the left-hander faced 517 balls and struck 46 fours and seven sixes before Mizoram declared at 581 for 9 on Monday, October 19.
The knock makes Sutar only the second Indian to score 400 in first-class cricket, and the first in 78 years. The only other Indian to get there was BB Nimbalkar, who made 443 not out for Maharashtra against Kathiawar in Pune in December 1948.
How the Innings Unfolded
What makes the innings even more striking is how it was built. Sutar was on 231 not out when Mizoram's last man, Lalrempuia Chhakchhuak, walked in. Instead of the innings folding, the pair added 189 runs for the tenth wicket, with Sutar scoring 169 of those while his partner held firm at the other end for 20.
That late surge took Sutar from a big double hundred into territory very few batters in the world have ever reached. By the time Mizoram called their batters in, he had spent more than 500 balls at the crease, a level of concentration that Gujarat and India A batter Priyank Panchal described as "a dying art today".
Chinmay Sutar's 400: Key Facts
| Batter | Chinmay Sutar (Mizoram) |
| Score | 400 not out |
| Balls faced | 517 |
| Boundaries | 46 fours, 7 sixes |
| Opponent | Nagaland, Ranji Trophy Plate Group, Round 2 |
| Venue | Sovima, Nagaland |
| Team total | 581/9 declared |
| 10th-wicket stand | 189 with Lalrempuia Chhakchhuak |
| Ranji Trophy ranking | Second-highest score ever, behind BB Nimbalkar's 443* |
Where It Stands in the Record Books
Sutar's 400 is now the second-highest individual score in Ranji Trophy history. He went past Prithvi Shaw's 379 for Mumbai against Assam in 2023, which had been the second-highest score in the competition's history. Only Nimbalkar's 443 not out, made in a match that was later abandoned, stands above him.
Globally, 400-plus scores in first-class cricket remain incredibly rare. The list is headed by Brian Lara's 501 not out for Warwickshire in 1994, followed by Hanif Mohammad's 499 and Don Bradman's 452 not out. Lara is also the only man to score 400 in a Test match. Sutar now joins that small and celebrated club.
From Mumbai to Mizoram
Sutar's journey to this moment is a story in itself. He previously played for Mumbai in white-ball cricket, including the Vijay Hazare Trophy, before switching to Mizoram. This is his debut Ranji season, and he had already shown his class in the opening round against Manipur, where he was run out for 99.
A week later, he made sure there would be no near miss. The innings is also a reminder of how the Plate Group can give talented cricketers a stage to announce themselves.
What It Means for Indian Cricket
Plate Group cricket rarely makes national headlines, and some will point out that the bowling attacks there are weaker than in the Elite groups. Even so, a 400 demands extraordinary stamina, shot selection and focus over roughly two days of batting, regardless of the opposition. Only a handful of batters anywhere have managed it in more than 150 years of first-class cricket, which puts Sutar's effort in rare company whatever the level of the match. The innings has already set social media buzzing, with fans and former players celebrating a rare old-school marathon in an era dominated by T20 cricket.
For smaller associations like Mizoram, which joined the Ranji Trophy only in recent years, a record of this kind brings visibility, sponsors' attention and a fresh sense of belief to young cricketers in the North-East.
What Happens Next
Nagaland will now need to bat long and well to save the match, while Mizoram will look to turn their massive total into an outright win and valuable points in the Plate table. For Sutar, the bigger question is whether selectors and Elite Group teams take notice. If he can keep scoring heavily over the rest of the season, his name could soon come up in conversations about India A and higher honours.
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