Meghalaya batter Akash Choudhary produced a record-breaking performance in the Ranji Trophy Plate Group match against Arunachal Pradesh, smashing eight consecutive sixes and registering the fastest fifty in first-class cricket history.

Batting at number eight, Akash reached his half-century in just 11 balls, surpassing the previous record of a 12-ball fifty set by Leicestershire’s Wayne White in 2012. Meghalaya declared their innings at 628 for six, with Akash remaining unbeaten on 50 off 14 balls at a strike rate of over 350.

Speaking to ANI after the match, Akash credited his coach’s message for his aggressive approach. “We had to declare quickly, that’s why the coach told us to go and attack. It gave me the freedom to play my shots,” he said.

During the second day’s play, Akash hit six sixes in an over off left-arm spinner Limar Dabi, joining cricket legends Garry Sobers and Ravi Shastri in the rare feat of clearing the boundary six times in a single over.

Beyond his on-field heroics, Akash also expressed pride in India’s women’s cricket team for their recent World Cup triumph under captain Harmanpreet Kaur. “I felt very proud and emotional. Women’s cricket will now go much further, and girls in our state will be inspired to play at the grassroots level,” he said.

India’s women’s team created history last Sunday by defeating South Africa by 52 runs at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium to claim their maiden World Cup title across formats.