Made the switch from Mumbai to Mizoram to play red-ball cricket: Chinmay Sutar after scoring 400 in Ranji Trophy

Sutar was the highest run-scorer in the 2026 Mumbai T20 League but red-ball opportunities were hard to come by

Chinmay Sutar, the 29-year-old, etched his name into Ranji Trophy folklore on Monday afternoon, becoming just the second batter to record the individual score of 400 in the tournament's history. Playing for Mizoram, the right-hander batted Nagaland into the ground, hammering 46 fours and 7 sixes.

Chinmay Sutar (File image) (Chinmay Sutar - Instagram)

The first batter to score 400 in the Ranji Trophy was BB Nimbalkar in 1948, and it took another batter 78 years to join the list. Overall, Sutar is just the 10th batter to score this many runs in a single first-class innings, joining the likes of Brian Lara, Don Bradman, Hanif Mohammad and Graeme Hick. Sutar fell short of breaking the record of the highest individual score in India's premier red-ball competition, and it still remains with Nimbalkar, who had scored 443 not out against Pune.

But nowhere during his innings was Sutar aware that he was just the second batter to score 400 in a single Ranji innings. “I am really, really happy. I am still in second place, but I am really proud of what I achieved today,” he told HT.

When asked when he realised that he was the second batter to get to 400, he replied, “I think after we declared, I had no idea about this when I was batting.”

At one stage, it didn't seem like Sutar would get to his 400 as he was batting on 231 when the last batter Lalrempuia Chhakchhuak joined him in the middle. The last pair added an unbeaten 189-run stand for the 10th wicket, which saw the right-hander enter the record books, taking Mizoram's total to 581/9. 169 runs of Sutar's 400 had come during the last wicket stand.

So what were the conversations like with the No.11 batter? “Our conversation was just trying to contribute. 20-30 runs more. Every time he used to talk between overs, let's just try to contribute. So when we were talking, he supported me really well. I was not looking for my individual milestone; we were just trying to contribute more to the team score,” he said.

Switch from Mumbai to Mizoram

This was just Sutar's second match for Mizoram in the Ranji Trophy, as he made the switch from Mumbai earlier this year after being the highest run-scorer in the 2026 Mumbai T20 League. In January, he also played a List-A match for Mumbai but decided to move to Mizoram to pursue his dream of playing red-ball cricket.

“I wanted to play red-ball cricket, but unfortunately, I was not getting chances from Mumbai. I was in a white-ball squad last year in Mumbai. So I wanted to use my dream to play red ball cricket, and I got this opportunity from Mizoram, and I took it, and I am really glad to be here,” said Sutar.

The batter's journey with Mizoram started off well last week, with him scoring 99 in the second innings of the Ranji Trophy match against Manipur. Earlier this year, he was in sensational form in the Mumbai T20 League, finishing as the Orange Cap holder while playing for the Maratha Royals.

“I always wanted to play red ball cricket, and this year I got the opportunity to play here. In the first game, I got out on 99. I had that hunger that I wanted to score a 100 in this game. I am glad I could finish this,” he added.

Sutar has always had a good support system at home, and the cricket tips have been very useful. His father, Rajesh, too, played first-class cricket for Mumbai andopened the batting with Sachin Tendulkar against Australia in a practice game, where he scored 48.

“He is the biggest support system I have in my life. Every time something happens, he is always the pillar of my life. So every time I talk to him every day about my game and other things. So he helps me in every aspect of my life,” he concluded.