'After 5th six, only one person crossed my mind and that was...': Gaikwad recalls India legend after 7 sixes in an over

Ruturaj Gaikwad talked about the India legend after he smashed a record seven sixes in an over during the Vijay Hazare Trophy match for Maharashtra against Uttar Pradesh.

Indian opener Ruturaj Gaikwad made an incredible record in the Vijay Hazare Trophy earlier this week, when he smashed seven sixes in an over against Uttar Pradesh. Gaikwad hit 42 runs off the seven deliveries (one no-ball) against left-arm bowler Shiva Singh in Ahmedabad, becoming the first batter to achieve the feat in List A history.

Batting on 165 off 147 deliveries, Gaikwad whacked Singh for a six over wide long-on to begin his carnage in the 49th over of Maharashtra's innings. He followed it up with another biggie over the bowler's head, and then hit Shiva Singh twice over long-off.

The bowler overstepped on a fifth delivery and the free-hit was sent over long-on again, before Gaikwad deposited Singh over the deep midwicket boundary for his seventh six. The batter eventually remained unbeaten on 220 in the innings, as Maharashtra won the game by 58 runs.

Talking to the BCCI after the record-breaking feat, Gaikwad said that only one person came to his mind after he smashed the fifth six of the over – Yuvraj Singh. The former Indian southpaw was the first player to hit six sixes in an over in T20Is; he had achieved the feat during the inaugural T20 World Cup game against England in 2007.

“After the fifth six, only one person crossed my mind, and that was Yuvraj Singh. I had seen him hit six sixes in an over when I was really young during the World Cup. I wanted to be alongside him, that's why I wanted to go for the sixth one. I was very happy that I was able to hit six sixes. I never thought I would be hitting six sixes in an over,” Gaikwad said.

“It's a great pleasure to be alongside his name and to be a part of the hype that's all around this over,” he further added.

Gaikwad plays for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League and has represented India in 1 ODI and 9 T20Is so far.