Ruturaj Gaikwad slams 7 sixes in an over, breaks records
Batter Ruturaj Gaikwad entered the record books in the Vijay Hazare Trophy quarter-final between Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh on Monday. The right-handed batter slammed 7 sixes in an over, plundering 43 runs from it. He eventually raced to a thunderous double-century. Gaikwad has become the first-ever batter to have slammed 7 sixes in an over in List A cricket. Here are the key stats.
A unique feat for Gaikwad
Gaikwad smashed spinner Shiva Singh for seven sixes in an over (49th) in the second Vijay Hazare Trophy quarter-final. The latter bowled one no-ball in that over. Gaikwad eventually got to 220 runs off 159 balls, hammering 16 sixes and 10 fours. The Maharashtra skipper led from the front, having returned unbeaten with a strike rate of 138.36.
WATCH: Gaikwad slams seven consecutive sixes
Career-best List A score
Gaikwad has registered his career-best score in List A cricket (220*). It was his maiden double-century in limited-overs cricket. Gaikwad now has 3,758 runs in 69 List A matches at an average of over 55. The tally includes 13 centuries, 16 fifties, and a double-ton.
Most sixes in a VHT innings
Gaikwad now holds the record for smashing the most number of sixes in a Vijay Hazare Trophy innings (16). Earlier in the tournament, Narayan Jagadeesan set a new record of 15 sixes in his record-breaking innings against Arunachal Pradesh. He broke the record of Yashaswi Jaiswal, who hammered 12 sixes against Jharkhand in the 2019 Vijay Hazare Trophy edition.
Highest average in List A cricket
Gaikwad now has the highest average in List A cricket (58.72). He has surpassed England's Sam Hain on the list, who currently averages 58.54 from 59 games. Australian legend Michael Bevan, placed third, finished with an average of 57.86. Among Indians, veteran batter Virat Kohli is Gaikward's closest rival. Kohli has an average of 56.50 in List A cricket.
How did the innings pan out?
Maharashtra racked up 330/5 after UP elected to field in the second quarter-final. Interestingly, 220 of those runs came off Gaikwad's bat. Ankit Bawne and Azim Kazi scored 37 runs each. For UP, Kartik Tyagi was the pick of bowlers. He took three wickets but conceded 66 runs. Ankit Rajpoot and Shivam Sharma took one wicket each.
