Twenty 20 cricket is one of the best formats of the game. It is basically a batsmen format where they score a lot of runs. It is hard for a bowler to dominate the batsman in this format. But, an Indian teenager has reportedly got one back for the bowlers with the perfect figures.
The 15-year-old Akash Choudhary, a left-arm medium pacer from Rajasthan, scalped 10 wickets for no runs in a domestic T20 game played at Jaipur. Yes, you read it correctly. Though it seems impossible, it is an unbelievable feat by the youngster.
The tournament, called the Late Bhawer Singh T20 tournament, was organized by one of the local ground owners in memory of his grandfather. The match was played between Disha Cricket Academy (DCA) and Pearl Academy (PA).
Playing for Disha Cricket Academy, Akash Choudhary single-handedly led his side to a 130-run victory, with eight of his victims falling without scoring. After winning the toss on a damp wicket, PA chose to field, restricting their opponents to 156 runs in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, courtesy Choudhary’s 10-wicket haul, PA were bowled out for just 36.
Akash’s bowling figures are 4-4-0-10. Most impressive of all was the fact that all of Choudhary’s dismissals were six bowled and four leg-before-wicket came without the help of any of his teammates. And he did it all without conceding a single run off the bat. Giriraj Bagari (13 from 12 balls) was the only Pearl Academy batsman to reach double figures while it was extras that topped the scoring, 16 runs made up of eight wides, seven leg byes, and a bye.
“I cannot thank God enough for this. A five-wicket haul in a T20 is possible on a good day, but a 10-wicket haul, without giving away a single run, is all luck. I took two wickets in the first over, another two in the second over, another two in the third over and four wickets in my last over, which included a hat-trick off the last three balls,” Akash told.
Born in 2002, Akash hails from a small district called Bharatpur near the Rajasthan-Uttar Pradesh border.
“My elder brother played district-level cricket in Rajasthan and that is the reason I too developed an interest in the game. He would often take me along for this matches. My parents then got me enrolled at the Shardul Sports School in Bikaner. In 2014, I shifted to Jaipur to be coached by Mr. Vivek Yadav at the Aravalli Cricket Club. Mr. Yadav has worked with the Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Ranji Trophy team,” the teenager added.
It really feels incredible to listen to such upcoming stars. Isn’t it?