{
  "id": 13764610,
  "title": "Ankit Bawne: Maharashtra batter who, 19 years on, still believes India will call",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/ankit-bawne-maharashtra-batter-who-19-years-on-still-believes-india",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-11T17:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/ankit-bawne-maharashtra-batter-19-years-india-will-call-10917113/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ankit Bawne, a cricketer from Aurangabad, scored an unbeaten 105 off 232 deliveries for Maharashtra in the first day of their Ranji Trophy opener against Services. This marked his 25th First-Class century, a significant milestone for the 34-year-old batter. Bawne, who had never received professional coaching, learned the game primarily from television. He became the youngest recipient of the MA Chidambaram award for India's best Under-15 cricketer at just 15 years old. Despite a season where he scored only 72 runs at an average of 10.28, Bawne's determination and focus remained unwavering. He had a particular target in mind this season - to score a century in the Ranji Trophy. His 105 on Sunday not only achieved that goal but also added to his impressive tally of nearly 15,000 runs across domestic cricket. Bawne's journey has been marked by perseverance, with moments of doubt but always an undying belief in his abilities. He remains hopeful of being noticed by the BCCI selectors, undeterred by past setbacks.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Ankit Bawne scores unbeaten 105 for Maharashtra in Ranji Trophy opener",
    "34-year-old batter achieves 25th First-Class century milestone",
    "Bawne targets century in Ranji Trophy, remains hopeful for BCCI selection"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}