Records tumbled one after another as Meghalaya’s Akash Kumar Choudhary etched his name into cricketing history by smashing a blistering 11-ball half-century, laced with eight consecutive sixes, against Arunachal Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Plate Group. In the Elite Group, Jharkhand’s Kumar Kushagra slammed a double ton, while on his 26th birthday, Prithvi Shaw scored 71 runs. Shreyas Gopal’s all-round heroics have put Karnataka ahead in their game against Maharashtra.
Meghalaya vs Arunachal Pradesh
Matches from the Plate Group seldom grab the spotlight, but on November 9, Akash Kumar Choudhary turned all eyes towards the ongoing encounter between Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. The 25-year-old cricketer smashed the fastest 50 in first-class cricket history, reaching the milestone in just 11 balls. He also became only the third player in first-class cricket to hit six sixes in an over. The seam-bowling all-rounder launched six sixes off Arunachal Pradesh’s left-arm spinner Limar Dabi in the 126th over of the innings. In doing so, he joined an elite club that previously included only Ravi Shastri and Garry Sobers. South Africa’s Mike Procter also hit six consecutive sixes, though spread across two overs. Coming in at No. 8, Akash began his innings with a dot ball and two singles before hammering the next eight deliveries to race past fifty.
Vidarbha vs Odisha
Odisha’s bowlers were on song in the first session of the day, taking five wickets, including that of Dhruv Shorey, who was dismissed for 144. Sambit Baral and Badal Biswal shared five wickets between them to bowl Vidarbha out for 286. Akshay Wadkar rotated his bowlers cleverly to push Odisha to 122 for six. Playing his first game of the season, Gaurav Farde impressed with his pace and took crucial wickets. The remaining four bowlers claimed one wicket each. In the absence of several first-choice bowlers, it was a commendable effort by the new-look Vidarbha attack.
Maharashtra vs Karnataka
After smashing 74 with the bat earlier in the day, Shreyas Gopal spun a web around the Maharashtra batters to leave the home side in trouble at 200 for 6 in Nashik. The leg-spinner picked up four wickets and was well supported by Mohsin Khan, who claimed two, including the key scalp of Shaw. While Shaw was batting with Arshin Kulkarni, Maharashtra looked in control. Once Arshin was dismissed, the middle order collapsed. The absence of the in-form Ruturaj Gaikwad was clearly felt. Veteran Jalaj Saxena, along with Vicky Ostwal and Ramakrishna Ghosh, will have their task cut out as Maharashtra trail by 113 runs in pursuit of a first-innings lead.
Goa vs Madhya Pradesh
Like Gaikwad, Madhya Pradesh missed their captain Rajat Patidar on day two, as the visitors ended on 181 for seven, trailing by 103 runs. Saransh Jain followed his four-wicket haul with a handy 48, while Rishabh Chauhan was the next top-scorer with 43. Once again, Goa’s new-ball pair of Arjun Tendulkar and Vasuki Koushik shared five of the seven wickets to fall. Earlier in the day, Goa could add only 26 runs for their last two wickets, finishing on 284.
Baroda vs Jharkhand
Young and impressive Kumar Kushagra outshone skipper Ishan Kishan with a scintillating 234, powering Jharkhand to 506. Batting at No. 3, the 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter made full use of the favourable conditions against a hapless Baroda bowling attack at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara. On his return from India A duties, Ishan managed only 28. Another wicketkeeper-batter who impressed on the day was Robin Minz, who struck ten fours and a six en route to a 90-ball 79. The day went from bad to worse for the home side as they lost three wickets in their first innings, reaching 78 in 31 overs by stumps.
Kerala vs Saurashtra
By posting 233 on the second day in response to Saurashtra’s 160, Kerala secured a first-innings lead and at least three points from the game. On a tricky wicket, Rohan Kunnummal’s 80 and Baba Aparajith’s 69 handed Kerala a 73-run advantage. Rain continued to play hide and seek in Thiruvananthapuram. Saurashtra got off to a much better start compared to their first innings, closing the day at 47 for one and trailing by 26 runs.
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