“After the 5th six, only one person crossed my mind, that was Yuvraj Singh” - Ruturaj Gaikwad opens up on slamming 7 sixes in an over

Maharashtra captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has opened up on his feat of smashing seven sixes in an over in the second quarter-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022 against Uttar Pradesh in Ahmedabad.

Admitting that he remembered Yuvraj Singh, who had slammed six sixes in an over against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup, he added that he was elated to have his name placed alongside the legend.

Gaikwad created history on Monday, November 28, becoming the first batter to hit seven sixes in an over in a List A match. Uttar Pradesh fielded first after winning the toss, but the decision backfired as the Maharashtra captain displayed incredible form.

In the penultimate over, he took on left-arm spinner Shiva Singh and dispatched him over the ropes seven times, with one of the sixes coming off a no-ball.

In a video posted on bcci.tv, the right-handed batter revisited his spectacular feat. Asked what was going through his mind before he struck the sixth six, Gaikwad revealed:

“To be honest, after the fifth six, only one person crossed my mind, that was Yuvraj Singh. I had seen him hit six sixes in an over when I was really young back then in the World Cup. I wanted to be alongside him. That’s why I wanted to go for the sixth one. And when I hit it, obviously I was very happy.

“I never thought in any dream that I would be hitting six sixes in an over. It’s a great pleasure and a great feeling to be alongside his name (Yuvraj’s) and match that hype which is there around six sixes or seven sixes in an over.”

In the 2007 T20 World Cup clash between India and England in Durban, Yuvraj went after pacer Stuart Broad and clubbed him for six consecutive sixes. In the previous over, the southpaw had an altercation with England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff. Unfortunately, Broad had to bear the brunt of Yuvraj’s ire.

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“When I got the sixth one, I thought why not go for the seventh” - Ruturaj Gaikwad

While Yuvraj created history with his six sixes, Gaikwad went one step ahead and slammed seven, courtesy of a no-ball from Shiva Singh. Reflecting on the over, the opener stated:

“When I got the sixth one, I thought why not go for the seventh one as well. It was not about hitting six or seven sixes, but trying to maximize that over - getting as many runs as possible for the team.”

The prolific batter dedicated his special knock to his family, his state, and his teammates, saying:

“This is for all my teammates, who have been working really hard. And also for people in Maharashtra and my family back home.”

Gaikwad ended up unbeaten on 220 off 159 balls as Maharashtra posted 330/5. Their bowlers then held Uttar Pradesh to 272 as Maharashtra sealed their spot in the semi-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022.