India captain Rohit Sharma is on a mission to scintillate. Lauded by many as one of the most effortless strikers and timers of a cricket ball the game has seen, Rohit continues to hit sixes at will in his late 30s. In Delhi, Rohit had undertaken a spectacular assault on the Afghan bowlers to blast his way into ODI World Cup records. On Saturday, during the high-voltage India vs Pakistan clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the India skipper picked things up from where he left them in the previous innings, as he smashed a 63-ball 86 to delight the capacity 130,000 crowd and set India on course for a comprehensive victory against their arch-rivals. (Highlights | Scorecard | Full Coverage)
Advertisement
Rohit displayed boundary hitting of the highest order, right from the word go to unsettle the Pakistani bowlers. He joined forces with Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer to make a mockery of the 192-run target and put India on top of the points table, displacing New Zealand.
Rohit's knock was studded with six sixes and as many fours. As is often the case, the pull shot was his most productive, and he struck three towering sixes with the stroke to dazzle spectators and experts alike. He also hit a massive six straight down the ground, and one on the off-side to cart the bowlers all over and leave them with no recourse.
Advertisement
Let's take a look at one of the six sizzling sixes struck by Rohit against pace bowler Haris Rauf, that went as far as 91m.
The breathtaking pull shot went several rows back in the stands and prompted Hindi commentator and 2002 Natwest final hero Mohammad Kaif to say, "You could put six fielders back on the fence and it wouldn't matter, as he just hits it cleanly over the ropes and outside the ground."
The unfettered boundary hitting took Rohit to another landmark on Saturday night, as he crossed the mark of 300 sixes in ODIs. Earlier, he had overtaken Chris Gayle for the record of most number of international sixes (Rohit now has 562 as against Gayle's 553) across formats.
Rohit's spendid show helped India post a thumping seven-wicket victory against Pakistan, and augurs well for the Indian team, heading further into the showpiece event.
