Rohit Sharma completes 500 sixes: Decoding his tally
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma scripted history during the second ODI against Bangladesh as he became only the second batter to complete 500 sixes in international cricket. Though the Men in Blue narrowly lost the duel by five runs, Rohit's valiant knock earned praises from the cricket fraternity. The 35-year-old batted with an injured thumb and scored a fiery half-century. Here we present his stats.
Why does this story matter?
Nicknamed 'Hitman', Rohit's ferocious striking ability has given nightmares to many potent bowlers. He backs himself to clear the ropes across all stages of the game. His best was unleashed in 2013 when the then-Indian skipper MS Dhoni promoted him to an opener in white-ball cricket. In 2019, he started opening in Tests as well, and the move has been highly successful.
Rohit puts up a valiant show
Rohit, who sustained a thumb injury while fielding in the first innings, was taken to the hospital for scans. He didn't open for India as many speculated that he won't bat. However, he arrived at number nine when India were reeling at 207/7 in a chase of 272. Rohit put up a great fight and scored a 28-ball 51* (4s: 3, 6s: 5).
Rohit joins an elite list
Rohit's third maximum of the night was his 500th six in international cricket. Only West Indies' Chris Gayle (553) had achieved the feat before the Indian skipper. Meanwhile, Rohit accomplished the milestone in his 445th innings across formats. He currently boasts 502 sixes. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Shahid Afridi (476) is the only other batter with 400 or more sixes at the highest level.
Rohit is way ahead of other Indians
The next Indian on this elite list is Dhoni with 359 maximums. Virat Kohli occupies the third spot with 266 sixes. He isn't likely to go anywhere near Rohit's tally. Interestingly, both Kohli and Dhoni have more international runs than Rohit.
Decoding his sixes tally in ODIs
Rohit has smashed 256 sixes in 235 ODIs so far, fourth-most for any batter in the format. Sanath Jayasuriya (270), Chris Gayle (331), and Afridi (351) lead the chart. Among active players, New Zealand's Martin Guptill (187) is closest to Rohit. The Indian skipper has smashed 9,454 ODI runs at 48.73 (50s: 46, 100s: 29). The tally includes three double centuries as well.
Most sixes in T20Is
Meanwhile, Rohit leads the six-hitting charts in T20Is, having smashed 182 maximums in 148 games. Guptill (173) is the only other batter with 150-plus sixes in T20Is. With 3,853 runs at 31.32, Rohit is the second-highest run-getter in the format (50s: 29, 100s: 4).
His sixes tally in Tests
Though Rohit's red-ball record isn't as colossal as his white-ball numbers, he has still done pretty well in the format. He has so far smashed 64 sixes in 45 Tests so far. Virender Sehwag (91), Dhoni (90), and Sachin Tendulkar (70) are the only Indians ahead of him. Rohit has so far garnered 3,137 runs in whites at 46.13 (50s: 14, 100s: 8).
Other prominent six-hitting records
Rohit has smashed joint-second-most sixes in an ODI inning, 16 vs Australia in 2013. He also holds the Indian record of mustering the most maximums in a T20I inning, 10 vs SL, 2017. He has also slammed the most sixes in a Test match, 13 vs SA in 2019. Rohit smashed 78 sixes in 2019, the most for a batter in a calendar year.
