Rohit Sharma’s match-winning knock on Tuesday at The Oval in the first ODI saw him reach the milestone figure of 250 sixes in the format, making him the first Indian to achieve the record. The Indian skipper is fourth in the all-time standings and comfortably first among active cricketers.
Rohit Sharma continues to scale mountains of greatness in white-ball cricket and further cement his legacy as one of the greatest players to have graced limited-overs cricket. The newly minted Indian captain saw India through to a 10-wicket demolition of England in the first of a three-match ODI series at The Oval on Tuesday, leading from the front with a sensational knock.
Coming out to chase a paltry 111 after Jasprit Bumrah’s 6/19 saw England crumble cheaply, Sharma put up an unbeaten stand with Shikhar Dhawan to coast India home for a 10-wicket victory. While Dhawan trudged his way through, the Indian skipper had all his guns blazing and finished with a 58-ball 76. His inning was laced with 7 fours and 5 maximums, with most of his boundaries coming off the short ball through his trademark pulls and hooks.
The last of those sixes was Sharma’s 250th in ODIs, making him the first Indian to reach the milestone. Previously, he had surpassed MS Dhoni’s record of 229 sixes to become the Indin with the most boundary clearances in the 50-over format in the international arena. He now only sits behind Sanath Jayasuriya, Chris Gayle and Shahid Afridi on the all-time list, needing 102 more sixes to overtake the Pakistani all-rounder.
Among active cricketers, Sharma is a clear first, with Martin Guptill far behind in second having 184 sixes to his name. The 35-year-old also has the record for second-most sixes in an ODI inning with 16 hits during his marathon 264, only bettered by a rampaging Eoin Morgan innings in the 2019 World Cup.
Rohit Sharma will be eager to further inch his way toward the top spots when he takes the field next for the second ODI at Lord’s on Thursday.
