Agni Chopra (Source – BCCI Domestic)
Mizoram’s Agni Chopra, son of renowned filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra and film critic Anupama Chopra, recently brought up a sensational feat in Round 2 of the Ranji Trophy Plate League 2024-25 against Arunachal Pradesh.
He scored a brisk 110 in the first innings which was succeeded by a trailblazing 238* (209) in his side’s second innings, as Mizoram romped to secure a 267-run triumph at the Gujarat College Ground in Ahmedabad. The 25-year-old southpaw became the first batter to register four centuries in his first four first-class games. The most recent edition of the premier red-ball competition saw him notch up scores which read 166, 92, 164, 15, 114, 10, 105, and 101, respectively.
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I don’t want to be in a team where I am picked because of a phone call: Chopra
Chopra further shed light on his future aspirations of being picked by a franchise in the Indian Premier League. He also made it amply clear that he would want to get picked on the basis of pure merit and not through any external agents contacting his parents.
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“Maybe, I am not good enough so I wasn’t picked (in the IPL auction). For me, I want to be picked for anything based on my pedigree, it shouldn’t be because of anything else. I don’t think my dad would ever pick up the phone and tell anyone just because I told him to. I have to be good enough so that they are calling my dad, rather than my dad calling them. If something like that (his father pulling ranks) happened, maybe I would be picked in the squad, but surely, would not get to play in the eleven. I don’t want to be in a team where I am picked because of a phone call and then I am not going to play.” stated Agni, as quoted by NDTV Sports.
Agni joins the elusive list comprising Hanumant Singh, WV Raman, Ajay Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Rajat Dalal, and Dhruv Shorey to have scored a century and a double-century in the same Ranji Trophy match.