Mohit Mongia, the son of one of India’s finest wicket-keepers Nayan Mongia, recently made headlines after he broke his father’s record in U-19 cricket. On November 14, Mohit broke his father’s record by scoring a sensational 240 off just 246 deliveries against Kerala in the Cooch Bihar Trophy. His father, Nayan Mongia previously held the record of highest runs scored (224 runs) by a Baroda U-19 batsmen back in 1988.
Eighteen-year-old Mohit, a left-arm spinner and middle-order batsman, is currently leading the Baroda U-19 team. He was appointed the captain of the team in October this year.
Mohit first grabbed came into the limelight after he scored a blistering 91 runs off 36 balls and bagged six wickets against Vyara in Maharaja Fatesingrao Gaekwad Inter-District U-19 tournament held in June at Billimora.
Delighted with the news, Nayan Mongia told Times of India,
I am really happy that my son has broken my record. It’s an incredible feeling. Mohit has been playing well so this double century is very well deserved.
Riding on Mohit’s double-century, Baroda is leading by 39 runs in response to 370 runs posted by Kerala. Baroda ended the day on 409 for seven wickets with Mohit still at the crease.
Mohit began his cricketing career in the Under-14 team. He then went on to play for U-16 and U-19 Baroda teams as well. After this feat, his father Nayan asked him to be more focused.
I told him that he shouldn’t be satisfied with just one double century. There is lot of competition ahead so he has to keep performing.
When asked about the difference in their batting styles, Nayan said,
Yes. Mohit likes to bat in the flow and does counter attack. I used to be a subdued batsman who batted slowly initially before picking up pace later in the innings.
Nayan Mongia played his last ODI & Test match in 2000 and 2001 respectively. He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2004 after being left out of the Baroda squad.
