On This Day in 1948: An Indian Nearly Broke Don Bradman’s Record, But a Maharaja’s Decision Ended the Match

On December 18, 1948, Indian cricketer Bhausaheb Babasaheb Nimbalkar came agonizingly close to breaking Don Bradman’s world record in first-class cricket. Batting at 443 not out, he was just 10 runs short of surpassing Bradman’s 452*, but the match was abruptly ended due to the intervention of a royal patron, and the record slipped away. Eleven years later, a Pakistani batsman finally claimed it.

The Ranji Trophy Clash: Maharashtra vs Kathiawad

The historic match was played in Pune during the 1948 Ranji Trophy, spanning four days. Kathiawad was bowled out for 238, and Maharashtra responded with 132 for 1. After the fall of the first wicket at 81, 29-year-old Nimbalkar came to bat. He joined forces with KV Bhandarkar, and together they added 455 runs for the second wicket in just five hours. Bhandarkar scored 205 before getting out, while Nimbalkar reached his 300 by the last over of the day, accompanied by SD Deodhar, whose name would later grace the Deodhar Trophy.

Nimbalkar Nears the World Record

On the third day, Maharashtra resumed at 587 for 2. Nimbalkar continued to build his innings alongside Deodhar and Mohan Lal, eventually reaching 400 runs. At that time, the highest individual score in first-class cricket was held by Don Bradman, who had scored 452 not out for New South Wales against Queensland in 1930. Nimbalkar’s aggressive batting brought India tantalizingly close to a new record, with Maharashtra at 826 for 4.

The Maharaja Ends the Match

However, the match took a dramatic turn when His Highness Thakur Sahib of Rajkot, Pradyumansinhji Lakhajirajsinhji, captain of the Kathiawad team, declared a tea break and refused to continue. Despite Maharashtra captain Raja Gokhale pleading for just two more overs, the Maharaja packed his belongings and led his team away from the stadium. Nimbalkar waited on the field in vain, unable to complete the record-breaking innings. In later interviews, he recalled, “The Maharaja said our team and his name would enter the record book for the wrong reason. I was left alone on the field as they all left.”

The Missed Record and Its Aftermath

Nimbalkar batted for 8 hours and 14 minutes, hitting 46 fours and 1 six, but missed the world record by just 10 runs. Maharashtra also fell short of breaking the Ranji Trophy’s highest team total of 912 runs, set by Holkar in 1944. In 1959, Hanif Mohammad of Pakistan finally surpassed Bradman’s record, scoring 499, a record that stood for 35 years until Brian Lara scored 501* in 1994. Nimbalkar’s 443 not out remains the fourth-highest first-class score in the world.

Top Five First-Class Scores Globally

Player	Runs	Minutes	Fours	Sixes	Opponent	Venue	Date
Brian Lara	501*	474	62	10	Durham	Birmingham	2 June 1994
Hanif Mohammad	499	635	64	0	Bahawalpur	Karachi	8 Jan 1959
Don Bradman	452*	415	49	0	Queensland	Sydney	3 Jan 1930
BB Nimbalkar	443*	494	49	1	Kathiawad	Pune	16 Dec 1948
Bill Ponsford	437	621	42	0	Queensland	Melbourne	16 Dec 1927

Top Ranji Trophy Innings

Player	Runs	Minutes	Fours	Sixes	Team	Opponent	Venue	Date
BB Nimbalkar	443*	494	49	1	Maharashtra	Kathiawad	Pune	16 Dec 1948
Prithvi Shaw	379	–	49	4	Mumbai	Assam	Guwahati	10 Jan 2023
Vijay Merchant	359*	640	31	–	Bombay	Maharashtra	Brabourne	31 Dec 1943
Samit Gohel	359*	964	45	1	Gujarat	Odisha	Jaipur	23 Dec 2016
Cheteshwar Pujara	352	548	49	1	Saurashtra	Karnataka	Rajkot	6 Jan 2013

Never Played for India

Despite his record-breaking innings, Nimbalkar never played an official Test for India. He did feature in an Indian XI against the Commonwealth XI in 1949–50 for an unofficial Test, but never represented the national team in official matches. In 80 first-class games, he scored 4,841 runs at an average of 47.93, including 12 centuries and 22 fifties.