The Indian captain, Rohit Sharma, maintained his exceptional form in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, providing a quick start to the Men in Blue in their pursuit of 274 runs against New Zealand at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Sunday, October 22, in a critical top-of-the-table clash.
Rohit aggressively took on the star-studded New Zealand pace attack from the outset, amassing 46 runs off just 40 balls. His blistering innings included four boundaries and four sixes. Unfortunately, Rohit couldn’t convert this promising start into a substantial score and was dismissed by Lockie Ferguson after an inside edge rattled the stumps.
With this performance, Rohit etched his name in history as the first Indian batsman in the 52-year-old ODI cricket history to hit 50 sixes in a calendar year. He joins an elite club of players to achieve this milestone, alongside Ab de Villiers (58) in 2015 and Chris Gayle (56) in 2019.
Top ODI Six Hitters in a Year:
- 58 – AB de Villiers (2015)
- 56 – Chris Gayle (2019)
- 50 – Rohit Sharma (2023)*
- 48 – Shahid Afridi (2002)
- 46 – Rohit Sharma (2017)
In the 2023 World Cup, Rohit has displayed remarkable form, accumulating 311 runs in five innings at an impressive average of 62.20. He has also struck 17 sixes in the tournament, including a century and a half-century, along with two crucial scores above 40.
Earlier this month, Rohit Sharma shattered the record for the most sixes in international cricket, surpassing Chris Gayle. He became the first Indian and the third player in history to amass 300 sixes in ODI cricket.
India is now heading for a tense finish against New Zealand, with Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer failing to capitalize on their promising starts in the innings.
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