Estonia batsman Sahil Chauhan has taken the world by storm with his record- breaking innings of an unbeaten 144 off just 41 deliveries. During the course of the innings, Chauhan made two world records - that of the fastest T20I ton, coming from just 27 deliveries and smashing 18 sixes. In fact, Chauhan also broke Chris Gayle’s record of fastest ton in all T20 cricket - Gayle had smashed a 30-ball ton in the IPL.
“I used to play a lot of cricket in my village back in India,” said Chauhan, who hails from Manakpur Devilal village in Haryana. “I started right from the age of 6-7, playing gully cricket and never really stopped,” Chauhan told FanCode, the official broadcaster of European Cricket.
“My uncle was the reason I moved to Estonia. He has a small restaurant business and that’s where I work. I started playing here in 2019 - I was really bored so I started searching on google for cricket in Estonia - I found a team’s contact information and called them. I asked, “Are you playing cricket?” They replied, “Yes, we play cricket. “So, I said, “Are you serious about this?” They responded, “Yes.” That’s how I started playing the game here,” Chauhan says, talking about how he took up cricket in Estonia.
Full highlights: https://x.com/FanCode/status/1802938326246429134
Chauhan is a huge Rohit Sharma fan and looks up to the Indian captain for his range of shots. “I’ve been a big Rohit Sharma fan since I watched him play, he’s a brilliant player who doesn’t take any pressure. Regardless of the situation, he always plays his game. I have learned a lot from him. His hook shots are my favorite.”
Talking about his innings, Chauhan said “I was just thinking about the innings and the target we had to chase. I just played to the merit of the ball, and that’s it. The ball is coming nicely to the bat, and I’m just playing my shots.”
Chauhan’s phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the knock and he has become a bit of an overnight star in India, “People back in my village were watching on FanCode, both my mother and my brother were so proud of me. I don’t have a sponsor on my bat, so companies are now reaching out to my brother - I just told him to handle it, I don’t need anything, but I am really proud of my achievement.”
Chauhan further credited European Cricket and the organised structure provided by various leagues as the reason for development of cricket in the region. “Cricket is on the right track here; we have an official broadcaster, so fans are able to watch the game and personally it’s a great feeling to know that people are watching you play.”
(FanCode is the official broadcaster for European Cricket in India)
