An extraordinary spectacle unfolded in India’s domestic cricket this week — a moment that will be etched in the sport’s history for years to come. During a four-day first-class match, Meghalaya’s Akash Kumar achieved the unthinkable, smashing eight consecutive sixes to set a brand-new world record.
The stunning feat occurred in the Ranji Trophy Plate Group clash against Arunachal Pradesh, held in Surat. Representing Meghalaya, Akash turned the match into a fireworks display when he took on left-arm spinner Limar Dabi. In one over, he dispatched all six deliveries over the boundary for six, and then, incredibly, struck the next two balls from the following over for sixes as well — eight in a row.
But the carnage didn’t stop there. With those mighty blows, Akash reached his half-century in just 11 deliveries — the fastest fifty ever recorded in first-class cricket. Before this, no batsman had managed more than six consecutive sixes in the format. Legends such as Ravi Shastri, Gary Sobers, and Mike Procter had each achieved the landmark of six sixes in an over, but Akash has now gone two better.
Below is a summary of the records rewritten by the 25-year-old cricketer:
| Type of Record | Previous Holder(s) | Previous Record | New Record | Record Holder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consecutive Sixes | Ravi Shastri / Gary Sobers | 6 sixes | 8 sixes | Akash Kumar |
| Fastest Fifty (by balls) | Wayne Knight (County Cricket, 2012) | 12 balls | 11 balls | Akash Kumar |
| Fastest Fifty (by time) | Cline Inman (1965) | 8 minutes | 9 minutes | Akash Kumar (2nd fastest) |
Interestingly, Akash Kumar is not primarily known for his batting heroics. A right-arm pace bowler by trade, he usually bats in the lower order. Coming in at number eight, he began his innings cautiously, but what followed over the next few deliveries was pure destruction — a blitz that will go down in cricket folklore.
Since making his first-class debut in 2019, Akash has played 30 matches, scoring 503 runs at an average of 14.37. Those numbers might not turn heads on paper, but after this unbelievable innings, the cricketing world will remember his name for an entirely different reason — as the man who unleashed an eight-sixes storm and redefined the limits of possibility in the gentleman’s game.
In the stands, teammates and spectators were left stunned, while videos of his power-hitting spread like wildfire across social media, earning Akash admiration from fans and legends alike. Whether he can replicate this explosive form in future matches remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Indian cricket has just found its latest cult hero.