Star Vidarbha batter Danish Malewar etched his name into cricket history on Friday, becoming the first Indian batter in 81 years to retire out after scoring a double century. The rare moment came during the ongoing Duleep Trophy clash, where Malewar struck a brilliant 203 for Central Zone against North East. The only other Indian to have done this before was the legendary Vijay Merchant, who retired out on 201 way back in 1944.
Malewar’s innings was nothing short of remarkable. He first stitched a 139-run partnership with opener Aryan Juyal, who chipped in with a solid 60, before adding a mammoth 199 with stand-in skipper Rajat Patidar, who led in Dhruv Jurel’s absence and scored 125. Bad light and rain had forced early stumps on Day 1 with Malewar unbeaten on 198, already surpassing his previous best of 153 from last season’s Ranji Trophy final.
When play resumed, he calmly brought up his maiden double century with a boundary in the very first over of the morning session. Soon after, Malewar chose to retire out at 203, making way for Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Subham Sharma.
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With this, he joined a rare list of cricketers to walk away after a double ton. Merchant had done it in 1944, while internationally, Craig Spearman of New Zealand famously retired out on 341 in 2005 for Gloucestershire.
REMEMBER THE NAME, 21-YEAR-OLD DANISH MALEWAR.
– Hundred in Ranji Trophy final ✅
– Double Hundred in Duleep Trophy ✅He is making a big statement for India’s batting future, a talent from Vidarbha. pic.twitter.com/mzE9H5TwND
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 29, 2025
In Indian cricket, the last time batters retired out in first-class games was during practice matches—KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja in 2021. Before them, Steve Smith and Shaun Marsh for Australia retired out in 2016-17. Within domestic competitions, the last such instance occurred in the 1996-97 season, when UP’s Manoj Mudgal retired in a Ranji Trophy clash against Rajasthan.
The exclusive list of players to retire out after scoring 200 also includes Gogumal Kishenchand (204 in 1943-44), Sri Lanka’s Aravinda de Silva (202 in 1994-95), and Marvan Atapattu (201 in 2001-02).
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Central Zone eventually declared on 532/4, with Malewar’s landmark knock setting the tone, backed by Patidar’s century and valuable contributions from Juyal and Yash Rathod. For Malewar, this innings not only marks his career-best performance but also secures him a rare place in cricket’s record books.
