India captain Rohit Sharma added another feather to his illustrious cap after smacking Henry Shipley for a six in the ongoing first One-Day International (ODI) against New Zealand at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
With the maximum, Rohit surpassed former skipper MS Dhoni‘s record for most sixes in the 50-over format at home. It all happened during the third over when Shipley bowled a fuller-length delivery outside off-stump. The Mumbaikar saw the opportunity and smashed the white leather over the extra cover region for a six.
Rohit slammed one more six against the same bowler before Blair Tickner dismissed him in the 13th over for 34. The Indian skipper, who has played 238 matches so far, now carries 125 sixes to his credit, two more than Dhoni. Overall, Rohit has 265 maximums in ODIs, which is the fourth highest.
Coming back to sixes in the Indian conditions, legendary Sachin Tendulkar is third with 71 maximums, while superstar Virat Kohli and former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh are fourth and fifth on the list.
Here is the video:
That ease six hitting 🤤🤤🤤….@ImRo45 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/F6pVbaGCJz
— Abhi 🦇⚡ (@jackspa09980580) January 18, 2023
Earlier at the toss, India made a few changes for the ongoing contest, including Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav in the playing XI. Notably, KL Rahul has been rested for the ODIs, and Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out due to an injury.
Speaking at the toss, Rohit said: “We did well against Sri Lanka, but this is a different challenge. Important for us to keep the momentum going. The spirit in the team is really good. Three changes. Hardik is back, Shardul is back. SKY and Ishan are playing as well.”