Akash Choudhary was certainly a happy man after hitting eight consecutive sixes, including six in a single over, on Sunday during Meghalaya’s Ranji Trophy Plate group clash against Arunachal Pradesh at the Pithwala Stadium in Surat.
He is now a member of the elite club that earlier included only Garry Sobers and Ravi Shastri for hitting six sixes in an over in first-class cricket. Besides, Akash (50 not out off 14 balls) went on to score the fastest half-century in the format with an 11-ball fifty.
But for the 25-year-old, who was born in Shillong, what mattered most was having Meghalaya’s name etched in the record books with his individual achievements. “It’s Meghalaya, my state, which has given me the opportunity to play cricket. So, the record is as much Meghalaya’s as it is mine,” Choudhary, who idolises Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, told The Telegraph on Monday, shortly after his team’s innings and 446-run victory over Arunachal.
“What makes it an even better feeling for me is our thumping win. The goal now is to take Meghalaya back to the (Ranji) Elite group.”
Choudhary was first spotted by Meghalaya Cricket Association president Naba Bhattacharjee during his school days. “I spotted Akash when he was representing KV (Kendriya Vidyalaya) Shillong. He represented Meghalaya at the U-23 level, and given his potential, he got promoted to the senior level in 2021,” Bhattacharjee said.
Essentially a bowler all-rounder slotted in the lower order, Choudhary, who bowls right-arm medium pace and bats right-handed, has so far played 31 first-class, 28 List A and 30 T20 matches. With the bat, he tallies 553 runs in first-class cricket, 203 in List A and 107 in T20s. He had also featured for North East Zone in this year’s Duleep Trophy with match figures of four wickets and nine runs.
For a batter who hit eight straight maximums, it’s quite surprising to see his strike rate in T20 cricket reading a lowly 79.85. That said, the situation might change this time around for Choudhary, as the IPL franchises and their scouts must have taken note of his six-hitting prowess.
Though it was a Plate group game and Arunachal aren’t among the strong bowling sides, hitting eight sixes on the trot is not the easiest thing for any batter.
“Honestly, the IPL and its auction aren’t in my mind. My name did come up once in 2022. If it comes up again this year, it will be great.
“Yes, I’m a little more optimistic about it now, but I was so before as well. So, at present, I’m really not thinking about the IPL auction,” the candid Choudhary said.
“Being a team man, my job was to get as many runs as possible in a short period of time. After hitting the third and fourth six off as many balls, I did feel a record was on the cards. I then went for it, and it happened.
“… Felt really good getting calls from Naba, and my family and friends,” he added.