Rohit Sharma sweats it out in nets ahead of ODI series against New Zealand

MUMBAI: India’s star batter Rohit Sharma is back in the nets ahead of the ODI series against New Zealand starting from January 11.

The ‘Hitman is gearing up for the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup. India will play three ODIs against New Zealand from January 11 this year. The ODIs will witness the star duo of Rohit and Virat Kohli. The ‘Hitman took to Instagram, sharing a picture of him batting in nets.

Last year was memorable for the former Indian skipper as he reached several milestones and records and led India to the ICC Champions Trophy as a captain, with a match-winning 76 in the final.

Rohit became the top ODI batter in ICC rankings for the first time in his career and also stepped to become the third-highest ODI run-getter for India. He became the fourth Indian cricketer to complete 20,000 runs in International cricket. He achieved this feat last month during his side’s third and final ODI against South Africa in Visakhapatnam.

The Hitman surpassed Shahid Afridi’s record for most sixes in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in November. He achieved the feat during India’s first ODI against South Africa at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi, hitting his 352nd six in the format. He overtook Afridi’s 351 sixes, who held the record since 2015. As of now, in 279 ODIs, he has slammed 355 sixes.

Rohit ended his year with 650 runs in 14 innings at an average of 50.00 and a strike rate of over 100, with two centuries and four fifties and a best score of 121*. In May, Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket, bringing an end to a celebrated chapter of his international career. (ANI)