By Zainab Shafiq 
In a cricketing spectacle at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma left no room for mercy against Afghanistan’s bowlers during the ninth match of the ICC World Cup 2023. Capitalizing on the powerplay, Sharma exhibited masterful execution of lofted shots, reaching his half-century in a brisk 30 balls.
This extraordinary performance saw Sharma sending the ball soaring over the boundary ropes four times, etching his name into the annals of cricket history as the batter with the highest number of sixes in the game. At the age of 36, he has now accumulated an impressive 554 maximums in just 473 innings, surpassing the legendary Chris Gayle of the West Indies, who amassed 553 sixes in 551 innings.
The ‘Hitman’ boasted a staggering 77 sixes in Test cricket, 294 in ODIs, and 182 in T20I cricket. Notably, he holds the record for being the fastest batter to reach 550 sixes in international cricket.
However, in ODI cricket, Rohit is ranked third in the list of players with the most sixes. Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, with 351 sixes, and Gayle, with 331 sixes, are the only two players to have more maximums than the 36-year-old in the 50-over format.
In the same match, Afghanistan set a formidable target of 273 runs for India, courtesy of a remarkable 121-run partnership between their skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai. Shahidi contributed 80 runs, while Omarzai added 62 to the total.
Jasprit Bumrah emerged as the star bowler for the home side, with a remarkable 4-39 spell in 10 overs, while all-rounder Hardik Pandya also made his presence felt, securing 2 wickets.
As of the time of reporting, India was in the driver’s seat, with a score of 164-1 in just 20 overs. The dominating opening batter Rohit Sharma, standing unbeaten at 108*, and Virat Kohli at 2*, seemed determined to chase down the target with unwavering confidence. The cricket world bore witness to Rohit Sharma’s six-hitting prowess, setting new records while propelling his team towards victory.
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