Rohit Sharma equals MS Dhoni record of hitting most number of sixes for India in ODIs

The critics generally get their opportunity to flay Rohit Sharma when he plays Test cricket for there is very little flaw one can find with his batting in white-ball cricket. The opening batsman hit his second consecutive fifty at the Bay Oval on Monday as India thrashed New Zealand in the third ODI of the series by 7 wickets to take an unassailable lead in the five-match series. Rohit scored 62 off 77 balls as India chased down the target of 244 with seven overs to spare.

The 31-year-old batsman who started the year with a blazing 133 against Australia in Sydney, also equaled former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in terms of hitting the most number of sixes in ODIs. Rohit hit two maximums on Monday to take his tally to 215 in 199 matches and 193 innings while Dhoni has hit 215 sixes for India in 334 games though his total number of over-boundaries hit in the 50-over format is 222 (337 games; seven were hit for Asia XI). Rohit’s record-equalling six came off pacer Lockie Ferguson.

Rohit, who is in his 13th year in international cricket, has hit 66 sixes against Australia in the ODIs – his most numbers against a single opponent. He has also hit 39 sixes against Sri Lanka. Two of his three double hundreds in ODIs have come against the Lankans while one against the Kangaroos. Of the 215 sixes, Rohit has hit in ODIs, 100 have come in India.

Rohit got stumped out first time since 2012 and it was against the same Santner

The batsman was looking solid to pick his 23rd ODI hundred on Monday but got stumped off the bowling of left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner. Incidentally, it was the first time since 2012 that Rohit got stumped and the last time he got out by the same manner was against the same bowler in the World T20 in Sri Lanka that year.

Rohit also crossed 10,000 List ‘A’ runs during his knock of 62 and is the fourth fastest to accomplish the feat after current captain Virat Kohli and former captains Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. His 23rd ODI hundred will also see him going past Ganguly to become India’s third highest after Tendulkar (49) and Kohli (39).

Rohit will be captaining India for the final two ODIs against New Zealand as well as the T20I series succeeding them as Kohli has been rested for those games. Rohit has an impressive captaincy record and had his last major success in September when India won the Asia Cup under him.

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