Rohit Sharma breaks Shahid Afridi’s record for most ODI sixes in history

India’s batting talisman Rohit Sharma etched yet another golden chapter into cricket’s lore on Sunday, soaring past Pakistan legend Shahid Afridi to claim the crown for the most sixes in One-Day Internationals.

The milestone came in a flourish during the first ODI against South Africa, where Rohit’s bat once again became an instrument of effortless power and elegance.

Rohit entered the series on the cusp of history with 349 sixes — just two short of Afridi’s 351 — a record the Pakistani great had built over 398 matches between 1996 and 2015. But the Indian opener needed barely a handful of overs to eclipse it.

In the 15th over, he danced down the track to Prenelan Subrayen, sending back-to-back sixes soaring over deep midwicket to draw level with Afridi. Moments later, he swivelled into a signature pull shot off Marco Hansen, launching the ball over deep square leg — the towering hit that sealed the world record.

The landmark arrived shortly after he registered his 60th ODI half-century, a reminder of the consistency that has underpinned his brilliance for over a decade.

Rohit eventually departed for a graceful 57 off 50 deliveries, studded with five boundaries and three majestic sixes. At 38, and now committed solely to ODI cricket after guiding India to the Champions Trophy earlier this year, Rohit continues to defy time — rewriting records with the same calm authority that has defined his career since debuting in 2007.

In just 270 innings, he has scaled a peak that once seemed untouchable — a testament to the Hitman’s enduring genius and his unabated romance with the art of hitting sixes.

With PTI inputs