WELLINGTON: India batting star Rohit Sharma has added another significant milestone to his illustrious ODI career, surpassing former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi to become the batter with the most sixes against New Zealand in One-Day International cricket.
Rohit achieved the landmark during India’s second ODI against New Zealand on Saturday, November 7, despite managing only 23 runs from 28 deliveries in a challenging run chase at Wellington.
The Indian opener struck two fours and two sixes during his innings. His second maximum took him past Afridi’s long-standing record, putting him at the top of the list of batters with the most ODI sixes against the Black Caps.
Rohit has now smashed 51 sixes in 34 ODI innings against New Zealand. Afridi, who previously held the record, finished with 50 sixes from 35 innings against the same opposition.
West Indies batting great Chris Gayle occupies third position with 45 sixes, followed by Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya, who has hit 41. England’s Jos Buttler and India’s Virat Kohli are joint-fifth with 29 sixes each.
Most Sixes Against New Zealand in ODI Cricket
51 – Rohit Sharma (India)
50 – Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
45 – Chris Gayle (West Indies)
41 – Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka)
29 – Jos Buttler (England)
29 – Virat Kohli (India)
Gurnoor Brar Stars as India Beat New Zealand in Rain-Affected ODI
Meanwhile, India secured a hard-fought four-run victory over New Zealand in the rain-affected second ODI, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Young fast bowler Gurnoor Brar emerged as one of India’s standout performers, claiming four wickets and playing a crucial role in restricting the hosts to just 134 runs.
The conditions at Wellington offered considerable assistance to the Indian pace attack, with extra bounce and movement making life difficult for the New Zealand batters. Brar capitalised on the conditions, repeatedly troubling the opposition with his short-pitched deliveries and disciplined hard lengths.
India’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss proved effective as the visitors made early inroads into the New Zealand batting line-up. Tim Seifert was dismissed for a duck by Nabi, while Will Young and Henry Nicholls also departed cheaply.
Brar then delivered a decisive double-wicket maiden, removing Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips with well-directed short balls to leave New Zealand struggling at 53 for five.
Daryl Mitchell offered some resistance with a patient 55 off 104 deliveries, while captain Mitchell Santner contributed 31 from 38 balls. However, their efforts were insufficient to prevent New Zealand from being bowled out for 134.
India’s chase, however, proved far from straightforward.
Jacob Duffy struck immediately, dismissing captain Shubman Gill for a duck with the first ball he faced. The New Zealand pacer followed it up by removing Virat Kohli for just seven runs, putting India under early pressure.
Rohit Sharma managed 23 before falling, while Shreyas Iyer contributed 30. The visitors continued to lose wickets as New Zealand’s fast bowlers exploited the movement and bounce available from the surface.
KL Rahul eventually played a decisive role in guiding India towards victory. Showing composure under pressure, he handled the difficult conditions and struck crucial sixes to keep the chase on track.
India ultimately crossed the finish line through the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, sealing a four-run victory and extending their lead to 2-0 in the series.
While India’s bowlers laid the foundation for the victory, Rohit’s latest record provided another memorable moment in a match dominated by fast bowling.
