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Akash Chaudhary, the Meghalaya batter who smashed eight sixes in a row, revealed that his coach's message to go all out and attack, as Meghalaya aimed to declare their innings soon, gave him the freedom to bat aggressively and play his shots.
Akash achieved this feat during his side's Plate Group Ranji Trophy match against Arunachal Pradesh in Surat on Sunday. During the match, he reached his half-century in just 11 balls, a record in the format, smashing eight sixes in a row, a feat unprecedented in first-class cricket. "It was a lucky day for me that I got good shots. My intentions are always right. I always give 100% in cricket. The result will come by itself. I always strive to maintain my integrity and give 100% to my team. We had to declare quickly, that's why the coach messaged us to go and attack, so that's why I was able to play openly," Akash Chaudhary told ANI. During the second day of the match, he smashed six sixes in the 126th over bowled by left-arm spinner Limar Dabi, joining an elite club including Ravi Shastri and Garry Sobers. Coming at number eight, Akash started with a dot ball and two singles. It was the calm before the storm as the next eight deliveries he faced went into the stands for eight successive sixes. His half-century is a ball faster than the previous record holder, Leicestershire's Wayne White, who hit a 12-ball fifty back in 2012. Meghalaya declared at 628/6 with Akash making 50* in 14 balls, with eight sixes and a strike rate of over 357. Akash also expressed pride and emotional joy over India's maiden Women's World Cup title, believing this achievement will boost women's cricket and inspire girls in his state to play at the grassroots level. "I am feeling very proud, I have tears in my eyes after watching the video, now women's cricket will go much further, even in our state, girls will play cricket at the grassroots level, and we can't be more proud of our women's cricket," he added. Harmanpreet Kaur led India made history as they secured their first-ever Women's World Cup title across both limited-overs formats, beating South Africa by 52 runs in a gripping title clash at Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium last Sunday. (ANI)
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