Rohit Sharma breaks Shahid Afridi’s record for most sixes in ODIs

RANCHI(Jharkhand) [India], November 30 (ANI): Rohit Sharma has made history by surpassing Shahid Afridi’s record for most sixes in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) on Sunday.

Rohit achieved this 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.

Rohit came into the match, needing just three more sixes to surpass Afridi, who held the record with 351 sixes from 369 innings. Rohit surpassed his records in 100 fewer innings than the former Pakistan captain, as he now has 352 sixes in 269 innings.

Rohit’s impressive performance includes hitting two sixes off Prenelan Subrayen and another off Marco Jansen, showcasing his explosive batting style. He became the fastest player to reach 350 sixes in ODIs, achieving this milestone in just 277 matches.

After Rohit and Afridi, Chris Gayle stands third on the list of most ODI sixes with 331 maximums, with Sanath Jayasuriya at fourth with 270 maximums, and MS Dhoni at fifth with 229 sixes.

Coming to the India vs South Africa ODI, both Rohit and Kohli marked their return to the playing field.

South African stand-in skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and opted to bowl first in the match. Opening the innings, Rohit was given an early reprieve as South Africa’s Tony de Zorzi dropped him on just one run. However, Rohit made full use of the dropped catch and slammed pacer Marco Jansen a couple of boundaries in the seventh over. He, along with Virat Kohli, continued to score regular boundaries, with both going over the strike rate of 100.

It was the 15th over when Rohit unleashed his hitting as he scored two back-to-back sixes to South Africa’s off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen. Rohit brought up his 60th ODI fifty in the 19th over of the first innings. In the very next over, Rohit hit another maximum, his third of the day, and surpassed Afridi’s record, taking his tally to 352 sixes.

Rohit could not convert the fifty into a hundred as the right-hand batter lost his wicket to Jansen in the 22nd over. He scored 57 off 51 balls, including five boundaries and three sixes. (ANI)