Friday 27 / December / 2024
Rajkot : Indian skipper Rohit Sharma became only the second batter in the history of cricket to score more than 550 sixes in international cricket.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma tapped into his prime form, took on the bowlers, and dealt effectively with the left-arm pacers to pull off a magnificent knock of 81.
His 81 included six sixes which took his tally to 551 sixes in international cricket and joined the former West Indies star opener Chris Gayle who has amassed 553 sixes over his decorated career.
Rohit's heroics with the bat weren't enough to take India across the finishing line as India bundled out on 286 while chasing a target of 353.
Even though India ended up on the losing side, Rohit was still keen to take away the positives from the game and said after the match, "I'm pretty happy, of course, I would like to go all the way along but if I'm hitting like that I'm happy. In the last 7-8 ODIs we have played really well, we have been challenged under different conditions and different teams, I thought we responded to that challenge pretty well. Unfortunately, not the result we wanted today."
He went on to emphasize the importance of staying fit ahead and during the World Cup campaign. He also pointed out his delight over Bumrah's return and said, "[on Bumrah] I'm pretty happy, more importantly how he feels body-wise, he has got so much skill, one bad game can happen to anyone. How he feels mentally and body-wise is key for us and that's looking good for us. When we talk about the 15 we are very clear what we want. We are not confused, we know where we are headed as a team. It's a team sport and we want everyone to come and play their part - that's how we win championships. It's about looking after the body and try and stay fresh for the next one and half months."
India will play their warm-up game against England ahead of the World Cup on September 30 at the Barsapara Stadium, Asaam.
