Rohit Sharma becomes the first Indian player to hit 200 sixes at home in international cricket
Dashing opener Rohit Sharma has become the first Indian batsman to smash 200 sixes at home in international cricket.
The ‘Hitman’ achieved the feat during Day 1 of the second Test against England in Chennai. In the 38th over of India’s innings, Rohit Sharma dispatched a tossed-up delivery from Moeen Ali over the long-off boundary to complete 200 sixes at home in international cricket.
Rohit Sharma’s love for hitting maximums is evident from the fact that he has needed only 118 matches at home to reach the mark of 200 sixes. Former India captain MS Dhoni is second on the list, with 179 sixes in 202 international matches; Yuvraj Singh is a distant third, with 111 sixes in 146 games.
Brendon McCullum (230), Martin Guptill (225) and Chris Gayle (212) are the only other cricketers who have hit over 200 sixes in international cricket at home.
Rohit Sharma went on to notch up his seventh Test century with a couple off Moeen Ali’s bowling. The 33-year-old’s hundred helped India gain some control after Shubman Gill (0), Cheteshwar Pujara (21) and Virat Kohli (0) fell cheaply.
Rohit Sharma’s six-hitting penchant
Apart from being the first Indian to hit 200 sixes at home, Rohit Sharma also holds the record for being the Indian player with the most sixes in international cricket - home, away and neutral venues combined.
In 368 games, he has smashed 428 maximums - 244 in ODIs, 127 in T20Is and 57 in Tests. MS Dhoni is next on the list with 352 sixes from 535 matches, followed by Sachin Tendulkar - 264 sixes from 664 games.
Overall, Rohit Sharma features at No. 3 on the list of cricketers with most international sixes. West Indies’ big-hitting legend Chris Gayle is the only cricketer to have smacked over 500 sixes. He has 532 to his name from 462 games.
Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi is second on the list, with 476 maximums in 524 international games.