Bengal Star Ankit Chatterjee, 15, Breaks Sourav Ganguly's 35-Year-Old Record

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