Top 5 batsmen with the most international sixes on home soil

Rohit Sharma and six-hitting go hand in hand. The ‘Hitman’ is at ease when he is wielding the willow, and clears the rope with a sense of nonchalance. And, on the first day of the second Test between India and England at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai, the opener allowed his side to dominate the proceedings of the day by scoring a blistering 161 at the top of the order.

In a classic that lasted 231 deliveries, Rohit scored 18 boundaries and 2 sixes, as he and Indian vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane put on a partnership of 162 runs for the fourth wicket. And now, the hosts are in a good position as the first day is drawing to a close.

Now, Rohit also achieved another significant milestone during the course of his brilliant innings. The Indian opener became the first Indian batsman to score 200 sixes on home soil across all international formats.

Rohit Sharma in elite company

In the table below, let us take a look at the top 5 batsmen who have scored the most number of sixes on home soil in international cricket.

From the above table, we can see that Rohit dominates every other batsman on the list. He has the highest average among the 5 players (56.13), and he scores 1.63 sixes per innings, a rate no batsman from the above list even comes close to. Martin Guptill has the next best rate after Sharma and scores 1.29 sixes every innings. MS Dhoni has the worst rate among the 5 batsmen and scores a six once every 0.87 innings.

As far as the 2nd Test is concerned, the Indian scorecard reads 289/6. Apart from Rohit, who scored a scintillating century, Ajinkya Rahane scored a patient 67. Both Shubman Gill and Indian skipper Virat Kohli were dismissed without even troubling the scorers, while Cheteshwar Pujara scored 21. For England, Jack Leach and Moeen Ali picked up two wickets each, while Olly Stone scalped a solitary wicket alongside Joe Root.