In a remarkable display of cricketing prowess, Rohit Sharma, the Indian skipper, etched his name into the annals of the sport during India’s 2023 ICC World Cup clash against Afghanistan. The action unfolded on the hallowed grounds of the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday, the 11th of October.
Rohit Sharma, known for his remarkable ability to send the ball soaring into the stands, shattered multiple records during this momentous encounter. The most significant of these achievements was surpassing West Indies’ legendary batsman, Chris Gayle, in the number of international sixes.
With a colossal total of 555 sixes to his name, Rohit Sharma now stands at the pinnacle of international cricket, leaving Gayle in his wake with 543 sixes. Following closely behind in this illustrious list are Shahid Afridi (476), Brendon McCullum (398), and Martin Guptill (383).
Not content with just one record-breaking feat, the 36-year-old Indian opener went on to establish himself as the fastest Indian batter to reach the milestone of 1000 runs in the World Cup. An astonishing achievement indeed, as he accomplished this feat in a mere 19 innings, joining the ranks of Australia’s David Warner, who shares this distinction.
To put this achievement in perspective, cricketing legends like Sachin Tendulkar and South Africa’s AB de Villiers took 20 innings to amass 1000 runs, while the esteemed Sir Vivian Richards and former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly required 21 innings to reach the same landmark.
But the records didn’t stop there. Rohit Sharma also carved his name into the record books by surpassing the great Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of ODI World Cup centuries. In this breathtaking match, he notched up his seventh ODI century, a feat no other batter had achieved before. This extraordinary accomplishment solidified Rohit’s status as a cricketing legend in the making.
Not only did he claim these records, but Rohit Sharma also set a blazing pace, becoming the fastest Indian batter to score a century in the World Cup. His century came in just 63 deliveries, eclipsing the previous record held by Kapil Dev, who achieved a 72-ball century in the iconic triumph over Zimbabwe in 1983.