The Baroda cricket team set a new record for the highest team total in T20 history by scoring 349 runs for five wickets in the first innings against Sikkim during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Geo Super Reported
Baroda’s batting line-up delivered a masterclass in aggressive cricket, overwhelming the opposition with a brilliant display of power hitting.
Batting first, the top order was on fire, with Bhanu Pania at the centre. Pania scored an unbeaten 134 off just 51 balls which included four fours and 15 sixes.
Supporting Pania were Abhimanyu Singh, Shivalik Sharma, and Vishnu Solanki, each scoring explosive fifties.
Singh’s 53 from 17, Sharma’s 17 from 55, and Solanki’s 16 from 50 ensured that Baroda set a formidable target.
On the bowling side, Sikkim struggled to contain Baroda’s attacking onslaught.
Roshan Kumar was the pick of his team’s bowlers, but even his two wickets were not enough to stem the heavy toll on the scoreboard. Kumar finished his four-over spell with figures of 2/81.
Leung Lepcha and Palzor Tamang also faced Baroda’s firepower, scoring 55 and 45 respectively, with Tamang taking two wickets.
Baroda not only scored the most runs in the shorter format but also hit the most sixes in a T20 innings, with 37 sixes, surpassing Zimbabwe’s record of 27 sixes.
Chasing 350, Sikkim managed just 86 for 7 in their 20 overs, with only two batsmen managing to cross the 15-run mark.
Spinners Krunal Pandya, Nand Rathwa, and Mahesh Pithia shared five wickets between them, helping Baroda to a 263-run victory, the fourth-largest margin of victory in T20 cricket history.
The record for the highest team total was previously held by Zimbabwe. On 23 October 2024, Zimbabwe set a target of 344/4 against Gambia in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Africa Qualifier.
Skipper Sikandar Raza’s unbeaten innings of 133 runs off 43 balls, which included seven fours and 15 sixes, became the third fastest century in the shorter format of the game.