NEW DELHI: The Ranji Trophy witnessed an extraordinary moment on Sunday as 25-year-old Meghalaya batter Akash Choudhary lit up the red-ball format with a record-breaking innings that sent social media and the cricket fraternity into a frenzy.

His whirlwind knock against Arunachal Pradesh not only turned heads across domestic cricket but also etched his name in the history books with the fastest half-century in first-class cricket, scored off just 11 balls.

A rising talent from Meghalaya

Born on 28 November 1999, Akash Choudhary represents Meghalaya in Indian domestic cricket. The right-handed batter made his T20 debut in the 2018–19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, followed by his List A debut in the 2019–20 Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Later that year, he stepped into first-class cricket during the 2019–20 Ranji Trophy, marking the beginning of his journey in the longer format.

Record-breaking knock in Surat

Playing against Arunachal Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Plate Division clash in Surat, Akash walked in at No. 8 with Meghalaya already dominating at 576/6. What followed was pure destruction. In a few overs of fearless strokeplay, he smashed eight sixes in a row, including six in a single over off Limar Dabi, reaching his fifty in just 11 deliveries.

With this extraordinary display, Akash broke the previous world record held by England’s Wayne White, who had brought up his fifty in 12 balls for Leicestershire against Essex in 2012. Among Indian players, the earlier best belonged to Bandeep Singh of Jammu & Kashmir, who had reached the mark in 15 balls — a record now obliterated by Akash’s blitz.