Ton-up Rohit Sharma is in command as Indian players create plethora of records

Team India created history in South Africa on Tuesday (February 13). Virat Kohli and his men beat the Proteas by 73 runs – to win the six-match series with a game in hand.

The win helped India to register their first-ever bilateral series win in the Rainbow Nation. On the previous tours, India had lost 5-2 in 1992-93, 4-0 in 2006-07, 3-2 in 2010-11, and 2-0 in 2013-14 respectively.

Batting first, India scored 274 for seven, India bowled out the hosts for just 201 runs to win the game and pocket the series.

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma provided India with a good start. The duo added 48 runs, before Dhawan fell to Kagiso Rabada.

Rohit and Kohli then shared a 105-run stand for the second wicket to lay the platform for a good total.

However, India failed to capitalize on the opportunity as middle-order struggled against hosts bowling line-up.

The tourists kept on losing wickets at regular intervals which stopped them from finishing the innings strongly. Rohit Sharma scored a fine 115 which helped India post a challenging 274 in the allotted 50 overs.

The bowlers then did a fine job to bowl out the hosts for just 201 inside 43 overs. Kuldeep Yadav starred with the ball, picking up 4 while Yuzvendra Chahal and Hardik Pandya picked up two apiece.

With the game done and dusted, here is a look at some interesting numbers from the fifth ODI:

1. Rohit now holds the record for most sixes in a season.  The India opener has 57 sixes in the 2017-18 season, beating Martin Guptill’s previous record. Guptill had hit 56 sixes in the 2015/16 season.

2. The win was India’s first-ever bilateral ODI series in South Africa. This was also India’s first win at Port Elizabeth after losses in their first five games at the venue (4 against South Africa and 1 against Kenya).

3. Kohli crossed the 400-run mark in the ODI series.  This is the only third time when an Indian had achieved the feat in a bilateral ODI series.

4. Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been involved in 7 ODI run outs. Ganguly-Tendulkar (9) are the only Indian pair to be involved in more ODI run-outs.

5. India’s victory is only the second time that an Asian side has won an ODI series in South Africa. Pakistan was the first team to achieve the feat in 2013.

6. Virat Kohli’s India has now won nine consecutive bilateral ODI series. Only West Indies (14 from May 1980 to March 1988)) have won more consecutive bilateral ODI series.

7. Kohli and Rohit have been involved in 13th-century partnerships in ODIs in 62 stands together. Only Sachin Tendulkar-Sourav Ganguly (26) stitched together more 100+ partnerships for India in ODIs.

8. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have taken 30 wickets in this series. That is the highest tally for Indian spinners in a bilateral ODI series. The previous record was 27 which came against England in 2006.

9. Rohit  took his tally to 265 international sixes for India. As a result, he surpassed Sachin Tendulkar (264) to rise to the second place on the list of most international sixes for India.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni leads the list with 338 sixes.

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