A look at the cricket Limca records over the years

Sachin Tendulkar, a prominent name in the Limca Book of Records

Ever since its launch in 1990, the Limca Book of Records has been a steady catalyst of creativity, courage and collaboration, and a launchpad for ordinary Indians to showcase their talent in their search for excellence. Recently, the Jaipur Literature Festival hosted the launch of a special edition of the Limca Book of Records - the 2015 Special Literature edition.

They say records are meant to be broken, but that may not hold true for some of the cricketing records listed in this book. The 2015 edition lists many extraordinary cricketing records, both from the men's and women's game. By chronicling records ranging from significant events in the history of cricket to the most awe-inspiring individual performances, the Limca Book of Records has a wide variety of documented feats waiting to be explored or read of, and has nuggets of information to offer to even the most hardcore cricket fans.

One of those individual performances came from our very own Mithali Raj, the current captain of the Indian women's Cricket team. Raj holds the distinction of being the only Indian woman to score a double century in Tests. She scored a spectacular 214 against England at Taunton on August 16, 2002.

Another noteworthy record is that of former Indian captain Kapil Dev, who became the first batsman to hit four successive balls for six, off the bowling of Eddie Hemmings back in July 1990 at Lord's.

A book that is focused on cricketing records is bound to have the name Sachin Tendulkar listed on more than one occasion. And the Limca Book of Records is no exception, with the Master Blaster laying claim to multiple records including the youngest player to score a century, the first to reach 100 centuries in international cricket, most Man of the Match awards and the youngest player to make his Test debut at 16 years and 205 days.

As far as bowling records are concerned, Anil Kumble's 10-wicket haul against Pakistan is matched by Indian Women's cricketer and pacer Jhulan Goswami's 10-wicket salvo in the Test against England at Taunton on Sept 1, 2006.

India's MS Dhoni tops the chart in the most career catches department, with 294 dismissals in 90 Tests. Meanwhile, former Indian women's Test cricketer Diana Edulji holds the unique distinction of sending down the most deliveries in women's Test cricket, a staggering 5,248 balls!

The Limca Book of Records also takes us through cricketing records from yesteryear, with sections dedicated to Test and ODI cricket from decades ago, and the records and significant dates that mark the history of cricket - such as the first Test match, the highest run chases, the best bowling and batting performances etc.

The records are not just restricted to international cricket. The Limca Book of Records being a comprehensive bible, it even lists records created or broken at the school level. For instance, 13-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal achieved a unique all-round feat when he scored a triple century and also claimed a 10+ wicket haul playing for Anjuman Islam Urdu High School in the Giles Shield Cricket Tournament in Mumbai in January 2014. Truly jaw-dropping numbers!

With a host of records to be read and assimilated, the 2015 special edition of the Limca Book of Records is among the most comprehensive and informational pieces of literature available on Cricket. It's a real page turner!