While playing for Ballari Tuskers in the ongoing Karnataka Premier League 2019 in India, all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham delivered a performance of a lifetime by scoring a century in a mere 39 deliveries. And as if scoring the fastest century in the tournament’s history wasn’t enough, he also went on to register the best bowling figures in a T20 game, picking up 8/15 in four overs.
Smashing four consecutive sixes in an over, Gowtham ended his innings at 134* from just 56 balls. Overall, he hit seven fours and 13 sixes en route to surpassing the tournament’s previous record of 119 runs held by Mayank Agarwal during the 2016 edition.
134* in a T20 game is excellent.
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) August 23, 2019
8 wickets in 4 overs is extraordinary. K Gowtham has done both in one game. That’s unreal. 😱 #KPL
Furthermore, although Gowtham’s return of 8/15 is better than Colin Ackermann’s 7/18 in a Vitality Blast game earlier this month, the figure won’t be considered as an official record since the state T20 leagues do not have official T20 status.
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Riding on the back of Gowtham’s 134*, Ballari Tuskers posted 203/3 on board and successfully defended their total, winning the match by 70 runs.
I just witnessed K GOWTHAM making 134no with 13 x 6’s and then took 8/15... greatest bowling figures in T20 history! #ManoftheMatch
— Dean Jones AM (@ProfDeano) August 23, 2019
WOW!!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻@KPLKSCA
“I don’t think I expected this, nor did anyone else out here. Thanks to everyone who turned up and supported us,” Gowtham said during the post-match presentation.
Furthermore, when asked whether he liked his batting performance or the bowling effort, he had quite a different response ready up his sleeve. “Well, I enjoyed my girlfriend’s smile.”
Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @KPLKSCA
