Ruturaj Gaikwad’s record making seven sixes in the age of T20

Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored a world-record making seven sixes in a domestic 50-over match in Maharashtra has not received much fanfare. While the Chennai Super Kings player briefly captured the news, there was no widespread acclaim. This can be explained by cricket’s evolving nature, where previously thrilling events like a six - such as the one scored by Javed Miandad in Sharjah - have now lost its special nature.

 Only memorable ones still capture the people’s attention, such as MS Dhoni’s twirl that resulted in a six at the Wankhede Stadium in 2011, and Virat Kohli’s double sixes against Haris Rauf in the T20 World Cup game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Suryakumar Yadav has also won applause from all corners for his unconventional shots that result in sixes, demonstrating further that only truly unique feats capture people’s attention anymore.

The drop in excitement over sixes is evident among players too, as the newer T20 format has reduced sixes to regular shots played by batters, who are used to hitting hard in the shorter format. These can also be likened to the cover-drives of Test cricket, which is an essential shot in every batter’s arsenal. Unsurprisingly, sixes have now lost their crowd appeal, and fail to create a sustained impression, unless truly momentous.