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Meghalaya batter Akash Kumar Choudhary scripted history on Sunday, by smashing the fastest-ever first-class half-century against Arunachal Pradesh in the Plate Group Ranji Trophy game in Surat. In a stunning display of power-hitting, he also became the third cricketer in first-class history to hit six sixes in an over.

 

Coming in at No. 8, Choudhary began with a dot and two singles before launching the next eight deliveries over the boundary, a sequence unprecedented in first-class cricket.

 

His fifty came in just 11 balls, breaking the previous 12-ball record held by Leicestershire’s Wayne Knight and surpassing Ceylon’s Clive Inman’s 13-ball half-century from 1965. While the fastest by balls faced, he was second in terms of time, taking nine minutes compared to Inman’s eight.

 

Choudhary’s feat included six consecutive sixes off left-arm spinner Limar Dabi in the 126th over of Meghalaya’s innings, placing him alongside cricketing legends Ravi Shastri, Garry Sobers, and South Africa’s Mike Procter. Remarkably, no batter in history had hit more than six sixes in a row in a single sequence until Choudhary’s eight.

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Before this innings, Choudhary had scored 503 runs in 30 first-class matches at a modest average of 14.37, with only two half-centuries. He made his first-class debut against Nagaland in December 2019, managing just six runs across two innings.

 

Meghalaya declared their innings at 628/6, with notable contributions from wicketkeeper Arpit Bhatewara’s double century, half-centuries from Ajay Duhan and Choudhary, and centuries from skipper Kishan Lyngdoh and Rahul Dalal. TNR Mohith claimed three wickets for Arunachal Pradesh. Bhatewara hails from Madhya Pradesh and previously played for Baroda, Duhan and Dalal are from Haryana, and Mohith has represented Hyderabad.

 

In reply, Arunachal Pradesh were bowled out for a mere 73 runs, with Aryan Bora taking four wickets, ensuring a dominant position for Meghalaya.

 

Choudhary’s explosive innings will be remembered as one of the most remarkable individual performances in the history of first-class cricket, showcasing not just power but composure under pressure.