Indian cricketer becomes first man to hit 300 runs in T20 match off just 72 balls

Mohit Ahlawat of Dehli scored exactly 300 runs to post the world's biggest run total inside 20 overs

Mohit Ahlawat struck 300 runs - including 39 sixes and 14 fours - off just 72 balls (Getty)

An Indian cricketer has become the first man in the world to score 300 runs in a Twenty20 match.

21-year-old Mohit Ahlawat hit a triple-century for Maavi XI off just 72 balls in a Friends Premier League match against Friends XI at Delhi’s Lalita Park. While the match has no official status, Mohit’s innings is still believed to be the first time any batsman has recorded 300 runs in a T20 match.

The match scorecard revealed Mohit hit an astonishing 39 sixes and 14 fours, meaning he ran just 10 of his 300 not-out, which helped Maavi XI post a score of 416-2 from their 20 overs – also thought to be a world record. In reply, Friends XI scored a respectable 200, though fell short of their target by a hefty 216 runs.

Mohit’s record-breaking innings soared past the professional record for a highest T20 score, which belongs to West Indies batsman Chris Gayle after he scored 175 runs off 66 balls for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League. Australia’s Aaron Finch holds the international record with his 156 off 63 balls against England.

Sri Lankan Dhanuka Pathirana held the previous best T20 score in the world, having hit 277 off 72 balls in a local Lancashire T20 league match in 2007.

Despite his innings being laden with boundaries – a 74% boundary rate on balls faced – Mohit revealed afterwards that he still tried to build an innings in order to avoid being undone by the new ball.

Innings by numbers

300 - runs scored

39 - sixes scored

14 - fours scored

10 - runs actually ran

10 - dot balls

“The attack was good but after seeing off the new ball, I decided to just bat aggressively and was really timing the ball well,” he told ABP Live.

Not content with 250 off 18 overs, Mohit set his sights on a triple-century, and blundered 50 off the final two overs which included 34 off the last six balls.

“I saw the scoreboard, and I was nearing my 200 with five overs to go, so I decided to go for the kill,” Mohit added. “I reached 250 with just two overs to go, I told my partner, ‘let me try if I can make 300’, and I got 30 off the last over.”

Despite not being a registered professional cricketer, Mohit has not stopped that from throwing his name into the hat for the upcoming Indian Premier League.

“Yes, I have put my name in IPL auction but I am not sure if this knock will help make people notice me.”