Rohit Sharma has created a historic moment in one-day cricket by breaking the record for the most sixes in ODIs. With the Rohit Sharma 351 Sixes Record, he moved past Shahid Afridi during the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi. His journey shows how a once-quiet batter transformed into one of cricket’s most feared hitters.
Rohit’s Journey From a Slow Starter to a Six-Hitting Machine
Rohit wasn’t a natural power-hitter at the start of his ODI career. Even though he now owns the Rohit Sharma 351 Sixes Record, his early years were slow. He hit his first six only in his third innings, and even after his maiden century in 2010, he had just five sixes from over 1000 balls.
Everything changed in 2013. Against Australia in Bengaluru, he smashed 16 sixes in one innings — a spectacular moment that laid the foundation for the future Rohit Sharma 351 Sixes Record. Before that day, he had only 36 sixes in 102 innings, showing how big this shift was.
From 2013 onwards, Rohit looked unstoppable. He smashed 316 sixes in 167 innings at a rapid rate. His consistency and clean hitting pushed him toward what would eventually become the Rohit Sharma 351 Sixes Record. Only Jos Buttler and Eoin Morgan came close during this period, but Rohit stayed well ahead.
His six-hitting improved even more after he became India’s captain in all formats in 2022. He hammered 107 sixes in just 46 innings, a key phase that contributed strongly to the Rohit Sharma 351 Sixes Record. As India’s ODI captain, he added 126 sixes in 55 innings, placing him among the top captaincy six-hitters in the world.
Rohit also holds several unique milestones: most sixes against one team (93 vs Australia), most sixes in a country (182 in India), and most sixes in a single year (67 in 2023). All these smaller records helped shape the larger achievement now known as the Rohit Sharma 351 Sixes Record.
He has hit sixes off 150 different bowlers, and the 352nd — the one that broke Afridi’s long-standing record — came against Marco Jansen. This important moment strengthened the legacy of the Rohit Sharma 351 Sixes Record, making the milestone even more memorable.
Rohit has struck 232 sixes off fast bowlers and 120 off spinners. More than a hundred of these came through the pull and hook shots. His dominance in the first ten overs, with 130 sixes, played a major role in reaching the Rohit Sharma 351 Sixes Record. Between overs 11 and 40, he recorded 170 sixes, the most by any batter.
How the Six-Hitting Record Evolved Over Time
The path to the Rohit Sharma 351 Sixes Record has decades of history behind it. The record originally began with Ian Chappell, who hit the first six in ODI cricket in 1971. It was later taken over briefly by Richard Hadlee and Chris Old before the West Indies greats dominated.
Clive Lloyd, Gordon Greenidge and Viv Richards took the game’s six-hitting to new heights. Richards held the record for more than 16 years, a massive reign that eventually paved the way for the journey leading to the Rohit Sharma 351 Sixes Record.
Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar carried the battle later, before Jayasuriya and Afridi kept exchanging the top spot for years. Afridi became the first to hit 200, 300 and 350 sixes, ruling the charts for 15 years — until the arrival of the Rohit Sharma 351 Sixes Record.
Among active players, no one is anywhere close. With ODIs being played less frequently now, the Rohit Sharma 351 Sixes Record may stand strong for many more years. If Rohit continues playing, he might even reach another impossible milestone — 400 ODI sixes.
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