22 October,2023 08:46 PM IST | Dharamsala | mid-day online correspondent
Rohit Sharma (Pic: AFP)
Skipper Rohit Sharma completed 50 ODI sixes in this year, becoming the first Indian to reach a half-century of sixes in the ODI format in a calendar year.
During the league stage clash against New Zealand, Rohit smashed 46 in 40 balls. His knock had four boundaries and four sixes. Rohit batted at a strike rate of 115, taking his six tally this year to 53.
The highest number of sixes in ODIs in a calendar year is hit by South African legend AB de Villiers, who hit 58 in 18 innings back in 2015. He is followed by West Indies hard-hitting batter Chris Gayle, who smashed 56 maximums in 15 innings back in 2019. Rohit is at the number three spot with 53 this year.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill became the fastest player to score 2000 runs in ODIs. He reached the milestone in 38 innings, bettering the record of South African Hashim Amla who had needed 40 innings to score 2000 ODI runs.
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The 24-year-old Indian, who scored 53 against Bangladesh in his previous outing, was 14 runs short of the milestone coming into the match. He achieved the feat in the seventh over of the Indian run chase when he smashed Trent Boult for a boundary.
Earlier, Daryl Mitchell hit a gutsy hundred before India pacer Mohammed Shami sizzled with a five-wicket haul in his first game of the World Cup to restrict New Zealand to 273 all out.
Sent into bat, Mitchell (130 off 127 balls) and Rachin Ravindra (75 off 87 balls) rescued New Zealand after a poor start, sharing 159 runs off 152 balls for the third wicket.
Shami (5/54) was the star with the ball for India while the other pacers, Jasprit Bumrah (1/45) and Mohammed Siraj (1/45), also played their part well.
India had a rare ordinary day in the field and were guilty of dropping three catches. Kuldeep Yadav (2/73) was the most expensive bowler but got the important wickets of Tom Lathan and Glenn Phillips.
(With inputs from agencies)
