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The 2018 cricketing season has come to end. The fans witnessed lots of cricketing actions throughout the year and the season was wonderful in cricketing terms. From blistering batting performances to scintillating bowling spells, from courageous captaincy decisions to astonishing fielding tricks, the year consisted of everything a cricket fan could ask for.
The season, albeit, was quite sparkling for Indian fans. The Indian Cricket Team won four overseas test matches (in SENA countries) in the same year which in itself is a world record as no other Asian team has done it in the history of cricket. The team also won the Asia Cup 2018 later this year. Under the leadership of Prithvi Shaw, young lads from India also won the U-19 World Cup. The year was full of different emotions for the Indians fans and players.
And as we are playing the first international match in 2019, we will dive back to the previous year and look at some of the best sixes played by Indian batsmen in 2018.
#5 Rohit Sharma’s shot over covers against Australia
Rohit Sharma's six-hitting capabilities is a well-known phenomenon. The 31-year old's effortlessness while clearing the fence is simply amazing. The Indian ODI vice-captain is arguably the greatest six-hitter ever produced by India. People remain stunned when the guy starts the fireworks on 22 yards. Time and again, he keeps proving why he has been given the nickname 'HITMAN’ by the cricketing fraternity.
Rohit Sharma, due to his brilliant performances in the white ball cricket, was selected in India's Test squad for the ongoing Australian tour. He was also selected in the playing XI in the first match.
He scored 37 valuable runs in the first innings and one of the highlights of this match was the glorious sixer hit by him in the 34th over of the match. Rohit's strange shot on the 3rd ball of the over left the people awestruck. Hitting a six in a Test match is a rare phenomenon and the six by Rohit over covers was simply unreal.
#4 Suryakumar Yadav's helicopter shot in Deodhar Trophy
Suryakumar Yadav is currently one of the most talented prospects going around in Indian domestic circuit. The lad was once the vice-captain of Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL in his initial days and is currently a part of Mumbai Indians. He had a good IPL campaign this season as he was promoted as an opener playing for MI and scored 512 runs in four matches.
The 28-year old stole the limelight in the latter half of the year 2018 due to his performance in the Deodhar Trophy. In the final of the tournament, he scored 39 runs off 18 deliveries. The knock consisted of four sixers and one out of the four sixers was a helicopter shot.
His IPL teammate Mayank Markande was bowling against him in the 45th over. The leggie bowled an outside-off delivery and Suryakumar Yadav hit it straight over the bowler's head for a maximum. The way he executed the shot with a flourish by twisting the bat in an overhead circle resembled the unorthodox Helicopter Shot which is played by the star Indian cricketer MS Dhoni.
#3 Shubman Gill’s Short Arm Jab
2018 for Shubman Gill was a blistering year. The young lad performed brilliantly in the U-19 World Cup and was highest run-scorer in India's road to glory. His consistency in the World Cup, IPL and then the domestic circuit has been extremely beneficial for him as he is just one step away from making his international debut.
The 19-year old's performance has attracted the cameras towards him throughout the year. And a shot played by the Punjab-born-lad earlier this year did an icing on the cake as he received huge appreciations from all over the world. During the U-19 World Cup, the guy was in superb form and against Zimbabwe, he scored a magnificent knock of 90 runs. India won the match by 10 wickets and one shot which stole all the limelight was Shubman Gill short-arm jab.
The innings which consisted of the 13 fours and a short-arm jab which looked quite similar to Virat Kohli's short-arm jab hit against the English team in December 2018.
#2 Rishabh Pant's sixer over off Bhuvi over the third man in IPL 2018
Rishabh Pant is one of the most popular players among the younger generation of Indian cricket. There is no doubt in the fact that the lad is extremely talented and is just a few steps away from becoming a big name in Indian cricket. His breathtaking performance in the IPL 11 earned him a national call-up and is currently a part of India's test team as well.
The Uttarakhand-born player scored a stupendous century in IPL 2018 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Wicket-Keeper batsman went all guns blazing against legendary bowlers like Rashid Khan and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar in that match as he scored 70 runs off the 24 balls bowled by the two.
His knock of 128 is also the highest score ever scored by an Indian in the Indian Premier League. The southpaw smashed 26 runs in the last over of the innings which also consisted of a brutally hit shot towards the third man on the 2nd ball of the over. The blend of brutal force and finesse from which he scooped the ball for a four over the short third man simply made the pundits go gaga over him. Howbeit, his tremendous strokeplay in that match eventually went in vain as the opponents went on to win the match.
#1 Virat Kohli's six off Lungi Ngidi vs South Africa in the 4th ODI
Virat Kohli is arguably the greatest player of this generation. The remarkable consistency from which the 30-year old plays is truly unbelievable.
He was the highest run-scorer for India in the South African and English tour in 2018. On the African tour, the Indian captain scored a vivacious century in very tough conditions in centurion during the Test series. He also displayed sheer brilliance in the ODI series as well.
Apart from his high-rated knocks, the other highlight of Virat's tour was a shot which he played during the pink ODI i.e. the 4th ODI of the series. The 17th over of India's innings witnessed a shot which no Indian cricket fan can ever forget.
It was the 3rd ball of the over with Lungi Ngidi into the attack and the Delhi-born cricketer shimmied down the track and whacked it straight over the bowler's head towards the sight screen for a monstrous sixer. The Indian skipper scored 75 valuable runs in the match though his team eventually couldn't manage to win the match.
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