Ashutosh Sharma shatters Yuvraj Singh’s long-standing record at Dhoni’s backyard

Last month, Nepalese cricketer Dipendra Singh Airee broke Yuvraj Singh's record for the fastest half-century in cricket history, hitting 50 runs in just 9 balls against Mongolia. This achievement shocked the cricketing world, but only a few weeks later, another player broke Yuvraj’s record. Ashutosh Rana, a batter for the Indian Railways cricket team, scored a half-century in just 11 balls, surpassing Yuvraj Singh's knock against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup.

After a four-year hiatus from the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Railways batter Ashutosh Sharma made history at the JSCA Oval Ground in Ranchi on October 17. Ashutosh played his last match in the 2019 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy when he used to play for Madhya Pradesh, He scored a dashing 84 runs in his last match for MP.

How it all transpired?

In the 16th over of the innings against Arunachal Pradesh, the 25-year-old Railways batter Ashutosh Sharma walked out to bat. He smashed a record-breaking knock of eight sixes, one four, and a single before being dismissed by Yab Niya in the penultimate over.

In addition to Ashutosh Sharma's record-breaking half-century, Railways wicketkeeper-batter Upendra Yadav also made a significant contribution to the team's total, scoring an unbeaten 103 runs off of just 51 deliveries. Yadav's century included nine sixes and six fours. Together, Sharma and Yadav helped Railways post a mammoth total of 246/5 on the board. Myendung Singpho was the unfortunate bowler who was taken to the cleaners by Sharma, conceding 28 runs from just one over.