Meghalaya batter joins the elite league of Sobers, Shastri and Yuvraj

The obscure Pithwala ground in Surat is an unlikely venue for a cricketing landmark – but Akash Kumar Choudhary, a sturdy allrounder of Meghalaya, ensured it in a Ranji Trophy plate match on Sunday. He emulated the likes of Sir Garfield Sobers, Ravi Shastri and Yuvraj Singh with six sixes in a row – and eight in all – to reach the fastest-ever 50 in First Class cricket history.

The bowlers of Arunachal Pradesh were made to suffer as the lower-order batter took only nine minutes and 11 deliveries to reach the half-century, beating the previous record by a single ball. Coming in at number eight, Kumar hit six sixes in an over and followed it up with two more to reach his half-century.

When Kumar came in, their score already read 576/6 after a double century by Arpit Bhatiwara and two more centurions in the middle order. Strangely, the batter faced three dot balls after reaching his 50 prompted Meghalaya to declare on that score.

Choudhary finished with a score of 50*(14), with no fours but eight sixes, to his name. He joins former Indian allrounder and head coach Shastri as the only two players with six sixes in an over in Ranji history.

 The feat breaks a 13-year-old record after Wayne White took 12 deliveries to reach his half century in a County Championship match for Leicestershire against Essex. The previous record in the Ranji Trophy stood with Bandeep Singh of Jammu and Kashmir, who took 15 deliveries to reach his half-century while playing against Tripura in Agartala in 2015.

Fewest deliveries to reach 50 in First class cricket

11 balls: Akash Kumar Choudhary: Meghalaya vs Arunachal Pradesh, Surat, 2025

12 balls: Wayne White: Leicestershire vs Essex, Leicester, 2012

13 balls: Michael van Vuuren: Eastern Province B vs Griqualand West, Cradock, 1984/85

14 balls: Ned Eckersley: Leicestershire vs Essex, Leicester, 2012

15 balls: Khalid Mahmood: Gujranwala vs Sargodha, Gujranwala, 2000/01