As Rohit systematically dismantled the Pakistani bowling attack at the Narendra Modi Stadium, his teammate Hardik Pandya, known for his formidable hitting, couldn’t help but liken it to a video game, remarking that it felt more like “PlayStation” than a game of cricket with Rohit in full swing.
While Pakistan failed to clear the boundary even once, Rohit alone dispatched the ball for 6 sixes. This powered India’s chase, which was completed with nearly 20 overs to spare, thanks to their skipper’s dynamic 86 off 63 balls.After one of those colossal sixes, Rohit was captured flexing his muscles in front of a grinning Erasmus. In a video released by the team, he explained to Hardik Pandya the reason behind this celebratory action.
“He was asking me the secret behind my big sixes, and if it had anything to do with the bat I use,” Rohit told Pandya. “I was just telling him it was not my bat, but my power.”
The stylish right-handed batsman surpassed the international cricket sixes record of 553 previously held by West Indies’ Chris Gayle before the encounter with Pakistan. Following Saturday’s match, Rohit achieved another milestone, becoming just the third batsman, alongside Gayle and Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, to launch 300 sixes in one-day internationals.
“I have been trying to bat like this in the last two years,” Rohit said of his batting approach in the World Cup. “Wickets are so good these days, I want to play my shots. I know I missed out on a hundred today.”
Rohit boasts an impressive three double centuries in ODIs, a feat unmatched by any other batsman; and his monumental 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014 still stands as the highest individual score in the 50-over format.
In the ongoing World Cup, his tally of 11 sixes across three matches is second only to Sri Lankan Kusal Mendis, who has hammered 14 sixes in just two matches.
Rohit’s former teammate Dinesh Karthik couldn’t help but marvel at India captain’s graceful shot-making, particularly his exquisite pull shot during the match against Pakistan.
“Whenever you talk about Rohit Sharma, there’s always a lazy elegance attached to him,” Karthik told Sky Sports. “If you bowl anything slightly short, forget it, go and pick it up from the stands.”
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India lead the points table with three consecutive victories, and their next match is scheduled against Bangladesh this Thursday in Pune.
(With inputs from Reuters)