Surat, Nov 10 (NationPress) Meghalaya's Akash Kumar Choudhary made history on Sunday by hitting eight consecutive sixes in first-class cricket. He shared insights into his approach when he came to bat, emphasizing that his strategy was to play aggressively, although he never anticipated achieving such a remarkable milestone.

The 25-year-old player launched eight consecutive sixes as he sped to a record-setting fifty in just 11 balls, breaking the previous record held by Leicestershire’s Wayne White, who reached fifty in 12 balls back in 2012. Before that, Clive Inman had maintained the record since 1965 with a fifty in 13 balls.

Choudhary accomplished this feat during the second day of Meghalaya's Plate Group match in the Ranji Trophy against Arunachal Pradesh in Surat. He also became the third player in the history of first-class cricket to hit six consecutive sixes in an over, joining legends like Sir Garfield Sobers and former Indian all-rounder Ravi Shastri. While Mike Procter from South Africa also hit six sixes, he did so over two different overs.

In an interview with IANS regarding his astonishing record, Akash mentioned, "I batted with the team situation in mind. My aim was to play aggressively, score as many runs as I could, and declare early – that was the directive from the dressing room. I didn’t focus on hitting eight sixes. After three, I felt I could aim for six maximums in the over, but the seventh and eighth sixes just flowed with the balls."

As a fast bowler himself, Akash considers India's pace stars Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj as his role models. He expressed a desire not to overstate his achievement, wishing to remain grounded as his team aims to return to the Elite section of the Ranji Trophy.

"I still haven’t fully grasped this record yet, but I don’t want to overplay it because we still have matches ahead. So, I want to keep my feet on the ground. Our team has dropped from the Elite group, so we are focused on regaining that status," he added.

Akash, who made his T20 debut in 2019 during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at the same venue in Surat, where he has now made a world record, expressed his gratitude, stating that Surat has brought him luck, as it was where he claimed his first T20 wicket and now achieved this historic milestone.

"Surat has been my lucky charm because I took my first T20 wicket here on my debut, and now I’ve set a world record at the same location. I couldn’t have asked for a better stroke of luck than this," he remarked.

Akash concluded by discussing the cricketing infrastructure in the North-East region, saying, "The BCCI is making significant strides in the North East, and we’ve seen considerable infrastructure development. However, playing cricket here can still be a challenge due to weather conditions. Nonetheless, more people are stepping forward to play cricket, and with new academies emerging, there’s promising potential for the sport."