India’s batting great has reached a remarkable six-hitting milestone in recognized T20 cricket.
Virat Kohli smashed back-to-back sixes off Khaleel Ahmed in the final two balls of the third over, and with the first of those, he etched his name into the history books. The Indian star became the first cricketer to hit 300 sixes for a single team in recognized T20s—“the first cricketer to hit 300 sixes for a single team in recognized T20 cricket.”
The record-breaking moment came at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, as Kohli represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Chennai Super Kings—his franchise since the inception of the IPL. He went on to hit three more sixes in the innings, taking his tally for RCB to 304 sixes.
Close behind him on the list is another RCB legend, Chris Gayle, who struck 263 sixes for the franchise. Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma sits third with 262 sixes.
Kohli also claimed another six-hitting record in the same match: “most sixes at a single venue in recognized T20s.” With 154 sixes now at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, he surpassed Chris Gayle’s previous record of 151 at the same ground. No other batter in the world has hit 150 sixes at a single venue.
Kohli’s superb innings ended on 62 runs off 33 balls, decorated with five sixes and five fours.
This was also Kohli’s fourth consecutive fifty-plus score in the ongoing IPL—matching his own franchise record from 2016. “Four back-to-back fifties for RCB—joint-most in the franchise’s history, a record Kohli himself set in 2016.”
Already the highest run-scorer in IPL history, Kohli also set a new record for most runs against a single opponent in the tournament. With Saturday’s knock, his total against Chennai Super Kings now stands at 1,146 runs, surpassing David Warner’s 1,134 runs against Punjab Kings.
Kohli wasn’t alone in lighting up the innings. Jacob Bethell of England played a blistering knock as well, scoring 55 off 33 balls with 2 sixes and 8 fours. Together, Kohli and Bethell put on a 97-run opening stand.
Towards the end, it was Romario Shepherd who stole the show with a late blitz. The Caribbean all-rounder smashed 6 sixes and 4 fours in a stunning 53 not out off just 14 balls, launching a brutal attack on Chennai’s bowlers.
After being sent in to bat, RCB posted a mammoth 213 for 5.
