IND Vs ENG: Rohit Sharma Makes ODI History, Becomes First Indian To Achieve This Insane Feat

In the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, has showcased extraordinary form. During India’s recent match against New Zealand in Dharamsala, the veteran opener achieved a remarkable milestone. Rohit Sharma became the first Indian player, and only the third globally, to record 50 or more ODI sixes in a single calendar year.

Prior to Rohit, this elite group consisted of South Africa’s AB de Villiers and West Indies legend Chris Gayle as the sole members to have accomplished such a feat. Rohit accomplished this remarkable achievement by smashing New Zealand’s Matt Henry for a six in only the second over of India’s pursuit of a 274-run target.

Rohit Sharma Praised Virat Kohli And Mohammed Shami

In his post-match statement, Rohit Sharma expressed his thoughts on India’s performance, saying, “Good start to the tournament. The job is half done. Important to stay balanced. Not to think too far ahead. Important to stay in the present. Shami took the opportunity with both hands. He has experience in these conditions and is a class bowler.

At one stage, we were looking at 300 plus. Credit to our bowlers at the back end. I am enjoying my batting. Both are different personalities but we (Him and Gill) complement each other. Happy that we won. There’s not much to say. He (Kohli) has done this for us so many years. He backed himself to do the job. Kohli and Jadeja pulled us back when we lost a few wickets in the middle.”

In the same match, Daryl Mitchell played a brilliant inning, scoring a century to guide New Zealand to a total of 273 runs against India in their highly-anticipated clash in Dharamsala. Despite New Zealand losing their openers early after being invited to bat first, Mitchell (130) and Rachin Ravindra (75) stitched together a crucial partnership of 159 runs to steer their innings in the right direction.

This partnership set a new record as the highest at a World Cup between these two teams for any wicket, surpassing the previous best of 136 set by Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth in 1987.

Adding to the drama, fast bowler Mohammed Shami played a pivotal role in the final 10 overs by returning impressive figures of 5-54 in his debut appearance at the tournament. While Ravindra was eventually dismissed in the 34th over, Daryl Mitchell continued his remarkable performance, reaching his fifth ODI century.

Here’s the list of batters who have hit 50 ODI sixes in a calendar year:

1. AB de Villiers – 58 (2015)
2. Chris Gayle – 56 (2019)
3. Rohit Sharma – 53 (2023)

Rohit Sharma managed to score 46 swiftly before Lockie Ferguson dismissed him in the 12th over.