When young left-hander Ankit Chatterjee drove seasoned Haryana pacer Anshul Kamboj for a cracking cover drive for his first scoring shot on Ranji Trophy debut for Bengal, it brought back memories of Sourav Ganguly — someone he had just eclipsed in the record books. At 15 years and 361 days, Ankit became the youngest cricketer from Bengal to make his Ranji Trophy debut, surpassing the iconic Ganguly, who had played his first match for Bengal at 17 in their triumphant 1989-90 final against Delhi.

A Class X student of Bangaon High School, Ankit’s journey to this moment has been filled with sacrifices and relentless dedication.

Every morning, while the world slept, he would wake up at 3:30am to catch the 4.25am Bongaon-Sealdah local train, embarking on a two-hour journey followed by another half-hour commute to the Kolkata Maidan.

His cousins, who stay with him in the Chatterjee joint family, took turns accompanying him, and their long day would only end around 9-10pm, a routine they have followed for the last three years.

Ankit learned about his debut two days before the match when established opener and India A cricketer Abhimanyu Easwaran was ruled out with a hairline fracture.

But instead of being nervous, the young left-hander embraced the challenge with composure, which has been his trademark quality according to his childhood coach Dolon Goldar.

“It was quite normal for me, and I even slept well last night. I did not look to attack, but the ball merited that shot, so I went for it,” Ankit said of his signature shot from Kalyani, where Bengal were 10/1 at stumps with him unbeaten on five.

His father, Anup Chatterjee, a contractor in Bangaon, saw his son’s passion early and encouraged him by buying his first cricket bat to make use of their vast backyard.

“He used to play in our vast backyard, and I could see his love for the game,” his father recalled.

Soon, Ankit was enrolled under coach Goldar at the Sonali Cricket Coaching Centre, where his disciplined approach stood out.

“Khub shanto baccha chilo (he was a very quiet boy), but he always listened carefully and practised until I told him to stop,” Goldar recalled.

Ankit’s rise through the ranks was swift.

He first shone in the U-16 category as Bengal’s leading run-scorer in the Vijay Merchant Trophy, which earned him a spot in the U-19 team under coach Saurasish Lahiri, who had just taken over from the senior side.

In the Vinoo Mankad Trophy, he impressed with a 75-ball century against Assam at Barabati Stadium, smashing nine sixes — all landing in the stands, recalled Lahiri.

He went on to emerge as the highest run getter this season for Bengal with 400-plus runs in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy.

Lahiri described him as a “fearless cricketer, a team man who plays with a punch.” His performances continued in the Cooch Behar Trophy, where he showcased his wide range of strokes against heavyweights Mumbai at Eden Gardens, reaching his century by lunch.

Lahiri, who travelled to Kalyani to watch Ankit’s debut, was delighted to see his protege in action.

“His first scoring shot in first-class cricket was a cover drive — his signature shot. Left-handers always have that elegance,” he said.

Does he remind him of Sourav Ganguly? “He’s a long way to go, but you can say he has the flair. You have to give him that freedom. He will fail but you have to give him the confidence and back him,” Lahiri said.

“I am sure that he has got the potential to serve Bengal for a long, long time,” added Lahiri.

Ankit, an ardent admirer of Virat Kohli’s work ethic and on-field attitude, remains humble despite his achievements.

“I waited for this day for a long time, but this is just the start,” he said, grateful for the support of his father, coach, and cousins.

As he turns 16 on Tuesday, his family is planning a small celebration at home.

“He is still a kid at home. His mother still feeds him with her hands, and maybe this time we’ll have something sweet to celebrate,” his father said with a proud smile.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Monday refused to read much into Virat Kohli’s prolonged lean run and hailed the batting maestro as the “greatest white-ball player” and “once-in-a-lifetime cricketer”. Kohli struck a second innings century in the opening Perth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but then managed only 85 runs in the next seven innings. With seniors such as Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma failing to deliver, India lost the series Down Under 1-3. “Virat Kohli is a once-in-a-lifetime cricketer. To score 81 international centuries in a career is something unbelievable. For me, he’s probably the greatest white-ball player the world has seen,” Ganguly said during a Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) felicitation programme for the state’s players.

Reflecting on Kohli’s struggle after the Perth century, Ganguly said even he was surprised to see him not build on that hundred in the remainder of the series.

“I was really surprised the way he batted after getting a 100 in Perth. He struggled before that but I thought after the 100 in Perth, it’ll be a big series for him.

“But I think it happens. Every player has his weakness and strength. You know, there’s no player in the world, who will not have that. It’s how you adapt to your weaknesses as you play great bowlers over a period of time.” With Kohli’s poor form being a topic of discussion, Ganguly expressed confidence and said he would be back at his best in the three-match ODI series against England and the ensuing Champions Trophy.

“He will score runs in this tournament in Indian conditions, and I still feel there’s a lot of cricket left in Virat Kohli, the tour of England will be a big challenge for him.

“I’m not too worried about his form in the Champions Trophy, because as I said, he’s probably the best white-ball player the world has seen for a long period of time.”

Shami next best after Bumrah

Ganguly was also excited to see pacer Mohammed Shami back on his feet and fully fit after a long injury layoff.

“I’m happy to see Shami fit because I think he’s probably the best bowler after (Jasprit) Bumrah in the country.

“I know he’ll be a bit nervous because he’s playing cricket after a long time, especially with a knee injury, but the good thing is that he bowled a lot for Bengal in the domestic cricket, which is going to help him in the games to come,” he said.

Shami will return to international action in the series-opening T20I against England here on Wednesday.

Ganguly also supported the idea of Shami returning to Test cricket, stating, “He’s as good as anybody in the world. Shami and Bumrah bowling at two ends is different than Bumrah bowling from one end. Both players are vital to each other’s success in Test cricket.”

There has been a lot of criticism of Team India following their loss to Australia and Ganguly stressed the importance of focusing on performance and maintaining a strong mindset amid all the noise.

“There’s so much at stake with sport these days, and there will be negativity and opinions. As an athlete, you need to find a way to keep yourself out of it,” he advised.

India are Champions Trophy contenders

Ganguly further said India would be one of the contenders in the Champions Trophy, especially after their runner-up finish in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup title triumph last year.

“I know India did not have a great series in Australia, but if you look at the last two World Cups, the T20 World Cup India won it unbeaten, and the 50-over World Cup India lost their final.

“So if you look at India’s performance in the last two World Cups, they’ve just lost one game, in almost about 20 of them. So, I think it’s a phenomenal white ball team. For me, they will be the favourites in the Champions Trophy.”

It will be a different Rohit come Champions Trpophy 

Ganguly also backed struggling Indian skipper Rohit Sharma to return to his best in the Champions Trophy.

“Rohit Sharma in white-ball cricket is phenomenal, and you will see a different Rohit Sharma once the Champions Trophy starts. And as I said, they (India) will be one of the contenders in the tournament.” Ganguly, however, said India need to work on their Test cricket with their next series being in England in the coming summer.

“Come England in July, they’ll have to really work hard to play well there because the conditions are different. The red ball and the seaming, swinging pitches, they’ll have to bat a bit better than what they have done,” Ganguly said.

“I’ve always said that if you score 350 to 400 runs in first innings of Test matches away from home, you get yourself in a position to win Test matches.”

“Now if you’re getting out for less than 200, then you’re always fighting from behind. And the reason they won in Perth is because they got 400-500 runs on the board in second innings.”

Harbhajan Singh (left) and Sourav Ganguly.© YouTube/@Captain Steel India Limited

File photo of Sourav Ganguly.© AFP

File photo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan.© BCCI