On Sunday, Meghalaya hitter Akash Kumar Choudhary made cricket history by being only the third player in First-Class history to knock six sixes in an over (where data is available) and scoring the quickest fifty in FC cricket.

Akash accomplished the feat on the second day of Meghalaya's Plate Group game in the Ranji Trophy, against Arunachal Pradesh in Surat. He slammed six sixes off left-arm bowler Limar Dabi in the 126th over of Meghalaya's innings, joining an elite club that previously featured Ravi Shastri and Garry Sobers; South Africa's Mike Procter also hit six consecutive sixes, albeit over two overs.

Meghalaya had lost Rahul Dalal on 144 and were down to 576/6. Akash came into bat at the no.8 spot and started his innings with a dot ball and two singles. But he proceeded to smash the next eight balls he faced for six, a feat no other batter in history has achieved, and reached his fifty off just 11 balls, the fastest in First-Class cricket history.

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Akash's half-century came one ball faster than the previous record holder, Leicestershire's Wayne Knight, who hit 50 off 12 balls in 2012, while Clive Inman hit 50 off only 13 balls in 1965.

While Akash surpassed the record for the fastest half-century in terms of balls faced, he still ranks second in terms of time: it took him nine minutes to reach the mark, whereas Inman took just eight.

Meghalaya batters had been on top of Arunachal Pradesh's bowling attack from the start of the game. Arpit Bhatewara produced an unbelievable double-hundred (207), and skipper Kishan Lyngdoh contributed significantly with a knock of 119. Then Rahul Dalal hit a magnificent 144 before Akash's fireworks helped Meghalaya reach a massive first-inning score of 628/6d.