Gurkeerat registers most ‘sixes’ and ‘fours’ in an innings in Ranji Trophy 2015-16

Gurkeerat registers most ‘sixes’ and ‘fours’ in an innings in Ranji Trophy 2015-16: Scoring runs in a game is the batsman’s pleasure. A batsman always wants to see the ball hit all over the park. The pleasure increases manifold if he is able to dispatch the ball to the ropes and beyond, more often than not.

After six rounds of the league stage in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2015-16 season, Gurkeerat Singh Mann of Punjab, tops the list of batsmen who have been successful in dispatching the ‘red cherry’ to the ropes and beyond in an innings.

The first game of the season for Punjab was played against Railways between 1^st Oct and 4^th Oct, 2015, at PCA Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh.

Punjab, under the leadership of Yuvraj Singh, won the toss and elected to bat.

At the fall of Uday Kaul’s (112, 417m, 290b, 10*4) wicket, with the team score at 289/4, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, walked in to join his skipper, Yuvraj Singh in the middle.

After a brief partnership of 9 runs, Yuvraj (23, 75m, 53b, 5*4) departed bringing in the wicket-keeper, Gitansh Khera to join Gurkeerat.

What followed thereafter was a real run-feast with both the batsman going ‘hammer and tongs’ on the hapless Railway bowlers. The duo put up an unbroken partnership of 306 runs for the sixth wicket, in 59.5 overs, at a run rate of 5.11 per over.

They commenced their journey with the team’s score at 298/5 and remained unbeaten till the score reached 604/5 when the Punjab skipper, Yuvraj Singh, declared their first innings.

Gitansh remained unbeaten on 102 runs made off 169 deliveries, being at the crease for 251 minutes with 9 fours and a solitary six. This was Khera’s second First Class century in his 19^th innings. He also went to pick up 6 catches (3 in each innings) and effected a stumping in the second innings.

On his part, Gurkeerat Singh Mann stayed put at the crease for 268 minutes, faced 207 deliveries and notched up 201* runs with the help of 25 fours and 5 sixes.

A total of 130 runs (64.7%) of his runs have come by way of 6s and 4s. Mann registered his third First Class century in his 31^st innings.

In 32 innings that Gurkeerat has played in First Class games, he has scored 1,427 runs at an average of 49.20 with 201* as his personal best. Of the total, 804 runs (184*4, 10*6), 56.3%, have come by way of big hits.

Gurkeerat, who was included in the Indian ODI squad against the touring South Africans, served as a substitute for the Indian Test squad during the first Test at Mohali.

The selectors have now, officially, included him in the squad for the second Test to be played at Bengaluru, Later released him along with Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to join their respective state teams to participate in domestic tournaments.