​"It was a different feeling when I got there."

Priyanshu Moliya reflects on the single that brought up his 300th run against Jammu & Kashmir at the Reliance Stadium in Vadodara.

​"When you've not thought of that sort of thing happening and never imagined and it happens, you get a very different feeling," he continues.

​The feeling of hitting his maiden first-class triple hundred was indeed special, and en route to that marathon knock, Moliya shattered records by registering the highest individual score for Baroda in the Ranji Trophy. It took a little bit of time for it to sink in.

​"I couldn't believe that I had hit 300, but once the innings got over, I realised 'I have really hit 300,'" he tells BCCI.tv.

​That knock against J&K in Round 3 of the Ranji Trophy could prove to be somewhat of a seminal moment in the Baroda batter's career. Yes, he burst onto the scene in style with centuries in his first two matches of his Ranji Trophy career back in 2022, but it is this marathon knock that has propelled him into the spotlight. The fact that he played this knock against a quality J&K bowling line-up made it even more impressive. Moliya walked out to bat at No. 3 in the 14th order on Day 1 and saw two of his partners depart in the next 10 overs. At 63/3, Baroda were stuttering a bit, losing Dhruv Patel and Shashwat Rawat in quick succession.

​This is when Moliya and Deepak Hooda got together and stabilised the innings.

​"When I walked out to bat, I was only thinking about building partnerships and taking the innings as long as possible," he explains. And that's what he did. He stitched a 91-run stand with Hooda before adding a marathon 238-run seventh-wicket partnership with Mahesh Pithiya, and then building another crucial 145-run stand with Rasikh Salam for the ninth wicket to propel Baroda to a massive 616 in the first innings.

​Moliya avoided looking too far ahead, playing to his strengths to construct a magnificent knock.

​"I am very calm and patient," Moliya says of his strengths. "I try to live in the present and not think too much about the future."

​"I wasn't looking too far ahead in my innings. I was looking to bat in the present, taking one ball at a time and playing on the merit of the ball. My only thinking was to take the team to safety first and then build a strong total."

​The hard work and dedication over the years have been paying off for the youngster. Moliya has seen a meteoric rise through age-group cricket. He represented India in the ICC Men's U-19 World Cup 2024. He made his Ranji Trophy debut at the age of 17 and hit centuries in his first two matches. And last season, he amassed 834 runs from six matches in the Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy and also made his List A debut in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring 379 runs from six innings with two centuries and two fifties at an impressive average of 63.16.

​He carried over the good form this season with a century against Bihar in the second round of the Ranji Trophy before smashing the record triple hundred against J & K.

​Moliya's appetite to score big hasn't developed overnight. In one of the U-14 local tournaments, he smashed 556* at the age of 13 back in 2018. It is a quality instilled by his father, who coached him from his childhood days.

​"I played a lot of red-ball cricket in age-group tournaments, so right from an early age, my mindset was to score big. My father who is my coach, always told me to play as long as possible, score big, and stay unbeaten."

The Jammu & Kashmir bowlers couldn't breach Moliya's defence and he did stay unbeaten on 321 in that innings.

​That appetite for big scores also stems from the work ethic and discipline he has developed by emulating his idol, Virat Kohli.

​"I've been following Virat Kohli right from my childhood days. I am inspired by his energy, intensity, work ethic, and discipline towards the game, and I try to incorporate that in my life, game, and career."

​With momentum on his side and a landmark knock under his belt, the 21-year-old isn't resting on his laurels. His immediate focus is to carry forward the momentum and win matches for Baroda, but his long-term goal remains crystal clear: "I want to play Test cricket for India."