Cricket, a game played with finesse and strategy, has been bewitched by the sheer power and the skill of batters who, with effortless ease, dispatch the ball into the stands. One such name that comes to mind as a name to begin at the top is that of Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Maharashtra cricketer who made history with his first sixes when he smashed 7 Sixes in a Single Over. On 28 November 2022, Gaikwad went down in history as he batted against the left-arm spinner of Uttar Pradesh in the quarter-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In just six legal deliveries, the young batting sensation rained 43 runs inclusive of 42 off the bat to take his score from 165* to 207*.Ruturaj Gaikwad's Record Breaking Feat Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Record-Breaking Feat Image Source : PTI An assault on Shiva Singh's over by Gaikwad was breathtaking. The right-handed opener was already in superb form and unleashed the powerful shots that left the bowler and the opposition completely stunned. Events followed a sequence in which Gaikwad scored 6 runs off each of the first five deliveries, a free hit no ball subsequently affording another 6 runs. The achievement made him the first batter in the history of List A cricket to hit 7 sixes in a single over and surpassed the previous record held by Zimbabwe's Elton Chigumbura, who had scored 39 runs off an over in a Dhaka Premier Division game way back in 2013. This extraordinary innings of 220* off only 159 balls in which there were 10 fours and 16 sixes helped Maharashtra reach a total of 330/5 in their allotted 50 overs. The team won the match comfortably by 58 runs against Uttar Pradesh. Also Read | Who Smashed the Fastest Double Centuries in ODI Cricket? The Record of 7 Sixes in a Single Over The record of 7 Sixes in a Single Over by Gaikwad is an important record in the history of cricket. It throws into fore him not only his excellent batting ability but also speaks about the evolution in cricket and the dominant influence of the big hitters. Before this, the record of most sixes in an over was left for a few privileged players in international and domestic cricket by Gaikwad, including Yuvraj Singh, Herschelle Gibbs, Kieron Pollard, and Jaskaran Malhotra who had all hit 6 sixes in an over. Gaikwad's phenomenal 7 Sixes in a Single Over not only broke the records set earlier but also showed how the game changes with time, as batting styles and powerful hits are getting better and better. Impact on the Big Hitmen of Cricket Image Source : Getty Images Ruturaj Gaikwad's knock breaks all records and creates shock waves across the cricketing world, especially in the big hitmen of this game. It is a testament to the phenomenal talent and skill that the young batter possesses. It will go down in history to instill inspiration in others to take cricketing standards beyond the boundaries of what has become possible in the game. This has reignited debate once more on the role of power-hitting in modern cricket, bringing to the fore an increased emphasis on scoring runs quickly and clearing the boundary. Gaikwad's feat would go a long way to inspire a new generation of cricketers to hone their ability to hit big and try to rewrite the record books. Some other Moments That Went Down the Lane of Big Hitting Image Source : Getty Images While Ruturaj Gaikwad's 7 Sixes in a Single Over is the latest and most spectacular feat to have been seen in cricket books, this sport has seen other instances of such big hitting over the years. International cricket has Yuvraj Singh, Herschelle Gibbs, Kieron Pollard, and Jaskaran Malhotra in its league who scripted history by hitting 6 sixes in an over. And in domestic and non-international cricket, the list of those who have scored the feat goes as long as those who have done it on the international level- Ross Whiteley, Hazratullah Zazai, Leo Carter, Kieron Pollard, and Thisara Perera in the same league. There was the most costly over in the history of international cricket when Stuart Broad received 35 runs off Jasprit Bumrah in a Test and 36 from Yuvraj Singh in a T20I. Also Read | Top 10 Record-Breaking Wins by Runs in ODI Cricket History Conclusion With 7 Sixes in a Single Over, Ruturaj Gaikwad has definitely gone into the cricketing history books. The spectacle of the young batter's incredible display of power and skill in breaking records is not just creating rumpus but also people's interest in the game. Cricket, with passage of time, will certainly attract such wonders of big hitting. The pressure put on big hitters of future generations in terms of heavy emphasis on power-hitting and the relentless quest for impossible boundaries are attributes that make the current appeal to cricket consistent. Gaikwad's achievement is a declaration of the fact that cricket keeps changing and how cricket continues to witness some unbelievably great cricketing talent being carried from the cricketing landscape, inspiring the young lot of cricketers to dream big and opt for the bigger shows.