Watch: Against Baroda in the 2024 Ranji Trophy, Kulwant Khejroliya of Madhya Pradesh became the fourth Indian to take four wickets in four balls in first-class cricket.

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At the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, Madhya Pradesh amassed 454 after Himanshu Mantri made 111. Baroda folded for only 132 in response – Mitesh Patel made 80 of these runs – against Anubhav Agarwal (3-50) and Saransh Jain (3-32).

Madhya Pradesh captain Shubham Sharma enforced the follow on. Jyotsnil Singh (83) and Shashwat Rawat (105) tok Baroda to 145-1 before Kumar Kartikeya (3-77) reduced them to 255-5. At that point, they needed 67 to avoid the innings defeat.

Left-arm seamer Kulwant Khejroliya had claimed 2-23 in the first innings but was yet to strike in the second. Now with the second, third, fourth, and fifth balls of the 95th over of the innings, he bowled Rawat, had Mahesh Pithiya caught, trapped Bhargav Bhatt leg-before, and bowled Akash Singh.

Khejroliya later bowled Atit Sheth to finish with 5-34, his first five-wicket haul, as Madhya Pradesh won by an innings and 52 runs.

This made Khejroliya the fourth Indian to take four wickets with consecutive balls in first-class cricket. Three of them have done this in the Ranji Trophy.

Four wickets in four balls by Indians in first-class cricket:

Sadanand Mohol for Indian Board President’s XI against Maharashtra Small Savings Minister’s and Life Insurance Company Chairman’s Combined XI, Poona 1965/66
Mohol dismissed Ajit Wadekar (LBW), Sudhakar Adhikari (bowled), Madhukar Gupte (LBW), ML Jaisimha (bowled) – in other words, his wickets did not involve any fielder.

Shankar Saini for Delhi against Himachal Pradesh, Delhi 1988/89 – Ranji Trophy
Saini dismissed Shakti Singh (caught Bhaskar Pillai), Anil Sen (bowled), Shakti Singh (caught Abhay Sharma), Satish Mehra (bowled). The last two wickets fell in the second innings. Saini is one of two bowlers to have dismissed the same batter (Shakti) twice as part of a hat-trick, after William Clarke of All-England, who got John Fagge of Kent twice in 1844.

Mohammad Mudhashir for Jammu & Kashmir against Rajasthan, Jaipur 2018/19 – Ranji Trophy
Mudhashir dismissed Chetan Bisht (LBW), Tajinder Dhillon (LBW), Rahul Chahar (LBW), Tanveer-ul-Hak (LBW) – without a fielder, just like Mohol. He had also had Ashok Menaria caught by Paras Sharma four five balls earlier in a spell of five wickets in nine balls.

Kulwant Khejroliya for Madhya Pradesh against Baroda, Indore 2023/24 – Ranji Trophy
Khejroliya dismissed Shashwat Rawat (bowled), Mahesh Pithiya (caught Rishabh Chouhan), Bhargav Bhatt (LBW), Akash Singh (bowled).

Watch Kulwant Khejroliya take four wickets in four balls:

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