(UTV | INDIA) – Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Shashank Singh scored a quickfire 25 (not out) off just six balls against Gujarat Titans, on Wednesday and overcame Virat Kohli to become the Indian batter with the highest strike rate in an Indian Premier League innings (minimum 25 runs).
Shashank’s innings consisted of 1 boundary and 3 sixes. The 21-year-old batter kicked off his knock with a boundary. In the final over of the innings, he smashed three consecutive sixes to help his side reach a solid total of 195 runs.
During his terrific show against Gujarat, Shashank surpassed former Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli and Balachandra Akhil in order to become the Indian batter with the highest strike rate in IPL.
In 2019, Kohli had scored 25 runs off seven balls against Rajasthan Royals at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. He scored 25 runs at a whopping strike rate of 357.14. Shashank’s latest knock came at a strike rate of 416.66.
Akhil held the record for the highest strike rate in an IPL inning as an Indian after he scored 27 runs off seven balls for Bangalore against Deccan Chargers (now-defunct) at a strike rate of 385.71 in 2008.
Highest strike-rate by an Indian in IPL innings (min: 25 runs):
416.66 – Shashank Singh v GT, today
385.71 – Balachandra Akhil v Dec, 2008
357.14 – Virat Kohli v RR, 2019#IPL2022 #GTvSRH— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) April 27, 2022
Overall, former South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris holds the record for the highest strike rate in IPL. In 2017, Morris had scored 38 runs off 9 balls against Rising Pune Supergiant (now-defunct) at a strike rate of 422.22. His innings consisted of 4 boundaries and 3 sixes.
In first-class cricket, Shashank had made his debut against Odisha in Ranji Trophy back in 2019. On the other hand, in the IPL he played his first match against Chennai Super Kings in the 2022 season. But he did not get a chance to bat in his first five IPL matches. In his sixth IPL game, he eventually got an opportunity to exhibit his batting prowess and played a truly memorable knock.
On Wednesday, April 27, Hyderabad posted a total of 195 runs losing six wickets in 20 overs. Abhishek Sharma (65 runs off 42 balls) and Aiden Markram (56 runs off 40 balls) helped their side in reaching a defendable total.
In reply, Rahul Tewatia (40 not out off 21 balls) and Rashid Khan (31 not out off 11 balls) showed terrific fighting spirit to reach the target successfully.