India’s former captain and veteran opener Rohit Sharma has broken a long-standing record held by Pakistan’s ex-captain Shahid Afridi, becoming the player with the most sixes in One Day International (ODI) cricket history.
The 38-year-old Indian opener achieved this milestone during the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi, where he scored a composed 57 runs. His innings included five fours and three sixes, taking his career tally to 352 ODI sixes, surpassing Afridi’s previous record of 351 sixes in 398 matches.
Afridi, widely regarded as one of the greatest power-hitters in cricket, had held the record since his retirement from ODI cricket in 2015.
West Indies legend Chris Gayle remains third on the all-time list with 331 sixes. Among active players, Rohit is followed by Virat Kohli (157 sixes) and Glenn Maxwell (155 sixes).
India Aim to Bounce Back After Test Series Defeat
Ahead of the ODI series, India’s stand-in captain KL Rahul said the team is determined to move past their recent Test series loss to South Africa, where they suffered defeats in Kolkata and Guwahati.
Rahul, 33, is leading the ODI side as regular captain Shubman Gill recovers from a neck injury.
Speaking to reporters in Ranchi, Rahul emphasized the team’s focus:
“We want to forget what happened a week ago and focus on winning. A collective performance is what we need.”
He added that the team aims to secure victory in the first ODI and carry the momentum into the remaining matches of the series.
