Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) legend Chris Gayle has hailed India captain Rohit Sharma after he surpassed him to become the batter with the second-most sixes in men’s ODIs.
Rohit achieved the milestone during his explosive 119-run knock off 90 balls in the second ODI against England in Cuttack on Sunday, February 9. His innings featured seven sixes, taking his tally to 333 in ODIs, surpassing Gayle’s record of 331. He now trails only Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, who holds the all-time record with 351 ODI sixes.
Praising Rohit for his long-standing entertainment value in international cricket, Gayle called him “the new king in town.”
“Congratulations to Rohit. Sport always needs a new entertainer, and Rohit has been entertaining for years, just as I did alongside him. So, he is the new king in town now. Congrats to him, and hopefully, he goes on to hit more sixes,” Gayle said via India Today.
Rohit Sharma’s Six-Hitting Legacy
Rohit Sharma remains the only cricketer with over 600 sixes in international cricket, with 631 maximums across 493 matches. He leads the all-time list, followed by Gayle (563 sixes in 483 matches) and Afridi (476 sixes in 524 matches).
Rohit Sharma vs Shikhar Dhawan: A Statistical Comparison After 167 ODIs.
More Records for Rohit
Beyond sixes, Rohit set multiple records with his century against England. He surpassed former India captain Rahul Dravid in both ODI runs (10,889) and international centuries (48).
Now, Rohit is on the verge of reaching another major milestone—11,000 ODI runs. He currently has 10,987 runs in 267 ODIs (259 innings) and needs just 13 runs to achieve the landmark in the third and final ODI against England in Ahmedabad on February 12.
If he accomplishes it in fewer than 276 innings, he will break Sachin Tendulkar’s record. Only Virat Kohli (222 innings) has reached 11,000 ODI runs faster.
Chasing More Elite Records
Among Indian players, only Tendulkar (18,426), Kohli (13,911*), and Sourav Ganguly (11,363) have scored over 11,000 ODI runs, with all three having captained India.
Additionally, Rohit is closing in on 50 international centuries, a feat only Tendulkar (100) and Kohli (81*) have achieved among Indians. With the ICC Champions Trophy approaching next week, he also requires 481 more runs to complete 20,000 international runs.
As Rohit continues to rewrite record books, the cricketing world awaits his next milestone.
