Rohit Sharma has claimed the record for the most sixes in the ICC Cricket World Cup, after the India captain opted for his team to bat first against New Zealand in the first semi-final of the tournament.
Sharma struck four sixes during his quick-fire knock of 47 runs off 29 balls on Wednesday, taking him to 51 sixes from his 27 World Cup matches so far.
It means he surpasses West Indies great Chris Gayle, who smashed 49 sixes in 35 matches across several World Cups.
Sharma is one of four batters who have scored 550 runs or more in this year’s tournament. His India teammate Virat Kohli is the most prolific batsman at the tournament and scored another century in Wednesday’s sem-final.
Sharma had previously smashed his way into the history books during this year’s cricket tournament by becoming the player with the most sixes across all forms of international cricket, yet another record previously held by Gayle.
The explosive Indian batter bagged the feat during his side’s eight-wicket win over Afghanistan in Delhi on 11 October.
The Mumbai cricketer now has a record 575 sixes across all formats in international cricket, 22 more than Gayle, who has not played for the West Indies since 2021.
No batsman in the ongoing World Cup has hit more sixes than 36-year-old Sharma (28 sixes).
He struck two sixes and eight fours in his knock of 61 runs off 54 deliveries against the Netherlands last week, clinching the record for most sixes hit by a batsman in a calendar year in the One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
The Indian skipper has now slammed 64 sixes in 2023, surpassing the previous record of 58 held by South Africa legend AB de Villiers, who achieved the feat in 2015.
