Chandigarh-born USA cricketer Jaskaran Malhotra joins idol Yuvraj Singh in elite group with 6 sixes in over
US batsman Jaskaran Malhotra on Thursday joined an elite group of players to hit six sixes in an over in international cricket, becoming the fourth man after Herschelle Gibbs, Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard to achieve the feat.
In Short
- Jaskaran Malhotra joins elite group with 6 sixes in over
- Jaskaran Malhotra becomes USA's first ODI centurion
- Jaskaran Malhotra smashed 16 sixes during his unbeaten knock of 173
How do you make a comeback in international cricket after not playing cricket for almost two years? Pretty easy smash six sixes in an over and score your country’s first international century.
Meet Jaskaran Malhotra, who on Thursday joined the elusive club of Herschelle Gibbs (ODI vs the Netherlands, March 2007), Yuvraj Singh (T20I vs England, September 2007), and Kieron Pollard (T20I vs Sri Lanka, March 2021) to hit six sixes in an over.
The 31-year-old, Chandigarh-born cricketer, batting at No 5 for the USA, smashed an unbeaten 173 runs off 124 balls in the second one-day international against Papua New Guinea. The bowler on the receiving end of Malhotra’s onslaught was Papua New Guinea fast bowler Gaudi Toka. The USA won the match by 134 runs.
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Jaskaran Malhotra joins an elite club among the likes of #YuvrajSingh and #Gibbs following this mammoth display with the bat!
Watch full highlights from #BilateralSeries on #FanCode https://t.co/NhBMDC1MiN@usacricket @Cricket_PNG pic.twitter.com/7tQLgYdFbD — FanCode (@FanCode) September 9, 2021
“I was batting with Saurabh (Netravalkar), and it was the last over of our innings. I was set, and the aim was to get as many runs as possible,” Malhotra told IndiaToday.In from Muscat, Oman.
“You can’t plan these things. It just happened, he kept bowling in my strong areas, and I was lucky to connect.”
“Apart from the personal feat, I am glad that people are talking about US cricket, which is massive for us as a team,” added Malhotra, who surpassed South African AB de Villiers’ 162 to become the highest score by a number five batsman in ODIs.
When asked about the elusive list of cricketers, he joined, including his childhood hero Yuvraj Singh. The reticent lad said: “It felt great that I have joined such an elusive group. I have around 4 to 5k WhatsApp messages on my phone.”
Owe this one to coach J Arunkumar
Jaskaran Malhotra dedicated his century to USA’s coach J Arunkumar and his two-month-old son.
“I dedicate this knock to our coach J Arunkumar for always believing in me and my baby boy, who is just two months old,” said Malhotra.
173* runs off 124 balls
4 fours and 16 sixes
Six sixes in one over
First man to score an ODI century for USA
A busy day at the office for Jaskaran Malhotra. #USAvPNG | @usacricket pic.twitter.com/VyVnxX40Xi — ICC (@ICC) September 9, 2021
J Arunkumar is a former Karnataka captain who has helped his state team win the Ranji Trophy, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and the Irani Cup - for two seasons: 2013-14 and 2014-15. Besides Karnataka, he has also worked with Hyderabad and Puducherry and with Kings XI Punjab (Punjab Kings) in the Indian Premier League.
“Arun Sir is a blessing to US cricket. He has brought so much positive energy to the team. When I was going through the lean phase, he used to motivate me a lot,” said Malhotra.
When Malhotra took Afridi to the cleaners
Malhotra, who was drafted by St Lucia Stars (now St Lucia Kings) in the 2018 Caribbean Premier League, is known for his hard-hitting batting.
To add to his repertoire, he is the man who made Shahid Afridi’s leg-spin look ordinary when he smashed four consecutive sixes off the former Pakistan skipper during a league match in the USA in 2017.
Ask him to take a trip down memory lane, pat comes his reply, “Afridi foxed me with his first two deliveries, but then I decided to watch the ball till the time it was released, and the rest is history. I went on to surpass the 150 mark in that innings. It was a shocker to me as well, even Shahid bhai glared at me, but after the match, he praised me, which was absolute gold for me.”
US is an open market: Malhotra
Jaskaran migrated to the USA seeking greener pastures after not being able to make it into the India U-19 side, which, in 2008, won the World Cup under the captaincy of Virat Kohli.
“US is an open market. So here you have an opportunity, that’s why so many first-class cricketers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, South Africa are coming here to play,” said Jaskaran, who was the MVP of the US Minor League.
“US cricket is growing at a significant pace, and the quality of the game has improved too,” he added.
Not looking back
For Malhotra, shifting to the US was a boon on both the professional and personal fronts. “I met my wife (Preeti) here. I have made a name for myself, and as a person, I have matured too,” said Malhotra.
Malhotra doesn’t lament his decision to leave India. “The decision to move to the US was an act of desperation, as I wanted to play cricket and was ready to grab whatever opportunity that came my way. It is a huge honour to represent the US in the international arena,” he said.
Looking back, Malhotra played List A matches for Himachal Pradesh before he shifted base to the USA. He even led the Himachal Pradesh U-19 team in the Cooch Behar Trophy. He was also among the probables of the U-19 Indian cricket team for the 2008 World Cup in Malaysia. In fact, in 2008, he declined a huge offer from the Indian Cricket League (ICL).
“I wasn’t happy with the chances I was getting back home. In fact, for about a year before moving to the US, I had almost given up playing cricket because I thought I was wasting my time,” recalled Malhotra.
“But then I landed in the US, the land of opportunities, and I was back on the ground, playing and enjoying the game again,” he signed off.