Harjas Singh, a 20-year-old Australian cricketer of Indian origin, achieved a historic milestone by scoring 314 runs off just 141 balls in a Sydney grade cricket match, playing for Western Suburbs against Sydney Cricket Club at Pratten Park.
His innings was explosive and record-breaking, featuring 35 sixes and 14 fours. This score is the third-highest individual score in Sydney first-grade cricket history and the highest limited-overs score in first-grade premier cricket anywhere in Australia.
Singh's innings not only broke the Western Suburbs club record, previously held by Bob Simpson at 229 runs, but it also placed him in the elite company of Victor Trumper (335 runs in 1903) and Phil Jaques (321 runs in 2007) for New South Wales Premier cricket.
Harjas came to the crease at number three and took four balls to get off the mark before unleashing a relentless assault, accelerating after reaching his century in 74 balls by scoring 214 runs off the next 67 deliveries.
His powerful hitting and clean striking during the innings impressed many; Harjas himself called it the best ball-striking he has ever witnessed from himself. Despite being a key player in Australia's Under-19 World Cup victory earlier in the year, where he top-scored with 55 in the final, he had not yet secured a rookie contract with New South Wales state cricket but this performance is seen as a potential turning point in his career. The innings has sparked excitement about his prospects of fast-tracking to higher levels of professional cricket and possibly international representation.
Western Suburbs posted a massive team total of 483-5 in their 50 overs, winning the match by 196 runs. Singh's knock was so dominant that no other teammate scored more than 37 runs in that innings. The innings drew wide attention, with onlookers struggling to keep up with the barrage of sixes and cricket media hailing Singh as a rising star to watch.
