Rohit Sharma makes ODI history in India’s 160-run win over Netherlands

Rohit Sharma-led India finish group stage as only unbeaten side in Cricket World Cup

Rohit Sharma claimed two six-hitting records during India’s 160-run win over the Netherlands in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

Sharma has been in red-hot form, hitting more sixes than any other batter in the ongoing edition of the Cricket World Cup. The Indian captain struck two sixes and eight fours in his knock of 61 runs off 54 deliveries after he won the toss at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium and opted to bat against the Netherlands.

With his first six of the match off the bowling of Netherlands off-spinner Colin Ackermann, Sharma clinched the record for most sixes hit by a batsman in a calendar year in the One-Day Internationals (ODIs).

The opening batter has now slammed 60 sixes in 2023, surpassing the previous record – 58, held by South Africa legend AB de Villiers, who achieved the feat in 2015.

West Indian big-hitter Chris Gayle sits third on the list of most ODI sixes in a year, with 56 sixes in 2019, ahead of Pakistan great Shahid Afridi’s 48 sixes in 2002.

Sharma, whose second six on Sunday came off Dutch spinner Roelof van der Merwe’s bowling, also surpassed England’s Eoin Morgan in the record for most sixes by a captain in a single edition of the Cricket World Cup. Morgan struck 22 sixes in World Cup 2019, while Sharma has taken his tally of sixes to 24 in the ongoing campaign in India. The Indian skipper is not done yet as India have qualified for the semi-final.

Most sixes by a captain in a single World Cup:

24* - India’s Rohit Sharma in 2023

22 - England’s Eoin Morgan in 2019

21 - South Africa’s AB de Villiers in 2015

18 - Australia’s Aaron Finch in 2019

17 - New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum in 2015

Sharma, earlier in the tournament, had smashed his way into history books by becoming the player with the most sixes across all forms of international cricket. The explosive batter bagged the feat during India’s eight-wicket win over Afghanistan in Delhi on 11 October.

Team India finished the group stage as the only unbeaten side in the tournament. Against the Dutch side, each of the Indian batters who walked out to bat scored at least a half-century. Sharma and Shubman Gill put up an opening stand of 100 runs, with both players scoring a fifty each. One-down batsman Virat Kohli also contributed with a half-century before KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer converted their starts into a century – 102 and 128 not out, respectively, and led India to a mammoth total of 401 runs in 50 overs.

The 160-run victory marked India’s 24th win in an ODI this year, equalling their previous tally of most wins in the 50-over format in a calendar year, which they had last achieved in 1998.

The first semi-final of World Cup 2023 is between India and New Zealand on Wednesday 15 November at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. The following day is the semi-final between Australia and South Africa at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.