Rohit Sharma Would Have Hit Tabraiz Shamsi For At Least 15 To 20 Sixes: Shoaib Akhtar

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has claimed that Rohit Sharma would have smashed Tabraiz Shamsi for 20 sixes if he had faced him during the match between India and South Africa at the Eden Gardens on Sunday (November 5).

India locked horns against the Proteas in the 37th match of the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first. The India skipper gave the team another flying start. On a pitch where other batters struggled to time the ball, he looked class apart.

The entire match saw only six sixes being hit and Rohit Sharma hit two of them while facing only 24 deliveries. The right-handed batsman also smashed 6 fours as he collected 36 of the 40 runs from boundaries only. He took the South Africa pacers to the cleaners early on and set the tone by smashing 40 runs off 24 balls and adding 62 runs in just 35 balls with Shubman Gill for the first wicket.

Shoaib Akhtar’s bold claim for Rohit Sharma:

While batters struggled to time the ball well for most part of the game, Shoaib Akhtar has said Rohit Sharma would have taken Tabraiz Shamsi to the cleaners. Speaking on Zee News, the former fast bowler asserted that had Rohit Sharma played more overs, India could have achieved a 400-plus total.

“Rohit Sharma has every shot, if Tabraiz Shamsi bowled such balls to Rohit Sharma, Rohit would have hit him for at least 15 to 20 sixes. India’s score would have been 430+ if he played more overs,” said Shoaib Akhtar before adding:

“I want to emphasize that he could have scored five centuries in the ongoing World Cup, and it’s a bit disappointing that he didn’t. I understand that he’s the captain, and his aggressive style of play lays the foundation for Virat Kohli and the lower-order batsmen to perform well. I genuinely hope he achieves a substantial century soon.”

Shoaib Akhtar said If Rohit Sharma would have faced shamsi today he would have hit him for 20 sixes ?pic.twitter.com/uen7uETAiT

— Ansh Shah (@asmemesss) November 5, 2023

Talking about the game, India thrashed the Proteas by a record margin of 243 runs to register their 8th win in 8 games in the ongoing competition. Riding on Virat Kohli’s unbeaten knock of 101 runs, India posted a big total of 326 for 5 in the allotted 50 overs. In reply, South Africa were all out for a paltry total of 83 runs.