On This Day in 1985: Ravi Shastri Hits Six Sixes in an Over

BOMBAY vs BARODA, Ranji Trophy, January 8-10, 1984-85, Mumbai: Sunil Gavaskar was leading Bombay against Kiran More's Baroda in the 1984-85 Ranji Trophy match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. It was labelled as the clash of the titans! Bombay elected to bat first and were given a great start by their openers with Ghulam Parkar going on to score 170. Gavaskar, batting at number 6, scored 22 while Ravi Shastri did not get a chance to bat in the innings. Bombay declared their innings at 371.

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Mohinder Amarnath led Baroda's charge and scored 88 from number 5 before Suresh Keshwala hit a hundred from number 8. Baroda declared at 330 for the loss of 8 wickets. Shastri picked 3 wickets but no one could imagine what he would do with the bat shortly after. Lalchand Rajput registered a hundred for Bombay in the second innings. Shastri came to bat at number 6 and was in a belligerent mood. He had been dropped by Gavaskar in the previous match against Gujarat.

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Shastri was often criticised by the fans and pundits alike for his slow and cautious batting. In fact, just 10 days earlier, he had scored a painfully slow 111 against England at the Eden Gardens taking as many as 357 deliveries. But a different Shastri had come out in the second innings on the 10th of January, 1985. He hammered his way to his half-century off just 42 deliveries in 38 minutes smashing three sixes and four boundaries. His hundred came in 71 minutes facing 80 balls.

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But Shastri was just getting started. The real carnage was about to come! He took a liking to the left-arm spinner, Tilak Raj and blasted him for six consecutive sixes in an over jumping from 147 to 183. A maximum straight down the ground, then two over wide long-on, another over mid-wicket, then another over long-on and finally the record one again straight over the bowler's head. Shastri had done the impossible!

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He had equaled the feat of Sir Gary Sobers who had smacked Malcolm Nash for six successive sixes playing for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan at Swansea in 1968.

Shastri reached his double hundred in just 123 deliveries racing from 100 to 200 in just 43 deliveries! He hammered 9 sixes and 4 fours during his second hundred. It was the fastest-ever double century in the history of First-Class cricket anywhere in the world!

Gavaskar declared the innings at 457 for the loss of 5 wickets with Shastri unbeaten on 200 off 123 deliveries - a knock which included 13 fours and as many sixes! Baroda were reduced to 81 for 7 but managed to draw the encounter.

Since Shastri's magical and unique feat, five other batsmen have achieved the same - in international cricket or other top-class first-class cricket - Herschelle Gibbs, Yuvraj Singh, Ross Whitely, Hazratullah Zazai and Leo Carter.

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