Meghalaya’s Akash Kumar Choudhary produced one of those scarcely believable Ranji Trophy passages on Sunday, hammering an 11-ball half-century and becoming only the third batter in first-class cricket to dispatch six consecutive deliveries for six.
The left-hander walked in at No. 8 during the Plate Group match against Arunachal Pradesh in Surat. After a cautious start – a dot followed by two singles – he launched eight balls in a row into, or over, the midwicket stands. The first six came off left-arm spinner Limar Dabi in the 126th over; the next two were collected off seamer Nabam Budh before Arunachal had time to recalibrate. At 25 years of age and in his 31st first-class outing, Choudhary had rewritten two long-standing lists within nine dizzy minutes.
Fastest fifties in the format used to belong to Leicestershire all-rounder Wayne White (12 balls, 2012) and, before that, Ceylon’s Clive Inman (13 balls, 1965). Choudhary now sits top of the “balls-taken” column, though Inman’s eight-minute effort remains the swiftest by the clock.
Only Garry Sobers (for Nottinghamshire in 1968) and Ravi Shastri (for Bombay in 1985) had previously recorded an over of six sixes in first-class cricket, while South Africa’s Mike Procter did strike six in succession across two overs. Choudhary has added his name – and an extra flourish, given the brace of maximums that followed – to that scarce club.
Meghalaya eventually declared on 575 for 7, a total built around captain Ram Gurung’s unbeaten 149 and Choudhary’s 55 off 12 deliveries. Arunachal, still coming to terms with events, reached 71 for 3 by stumps on day two.
Numbers aside, Choudhary’s surge is significant for a player who began the match with just 503 first-class runs at 14.37. He had hinted at something similar earlier in the month, clearing the ropes four times during an unbeaten 60 against Bihar. Yet the scale and speed of Sunday’s salvo were another level.
Analytically, the knock underlines the gap between Plate and Elite divisions but also highlights the depth of power-hitting now permeating India’s domestic circuit. As coaches increasingly drill boundary-options into lower-order batters, records once thought secure continue to wobble.
There will be sterner attacks to face, but the eight-six burst ensures Choudhary’s name sits beside Sobers and Shastri in cricket’s statistical almanac – a place even the most optimistic Plate-Group follower would admit felt improbable at breakfast on Sunday.
