Rohit Sharma blasts record century, becomes six-hitting machine vs Australia

Rohit Sharma is nicknamed ‘Hitman’ for a particular reason. He has the ability to hit big sixes and also notch up massive scores. In ODIs, it is a format where he has dominated for the last couple of seasons. Ever since his 209 against Australia in Bengaluru in 2013, Rohit has become the ultimate destroyer of Australian bowling attacks in any part of the world. In the first ODI against Australia in Sydney, Rohit created yet another slice of history to keep India in the hunt for a win. The Mumbai opener notched up his 22^nd century and his seventh against Australia but it was one more statistic which caught everyone’s attention. This feat is a new record in world cricket.

Rohit’s tally included six sixes as he cleared the Sydney Cricket Ground with ease. His tally increased his number of sixes hit against Australia to 64, which is the most by any batsmen against a single opposition. Rohit broke the previous world record held by Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, who blasted 63 sixes in ODIs against Sri Lanka. While Afridi took 72 games to hit 63 sixes, Rohit has achieved the feat in a staggering 29 games.

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Rohit has also hit a total of 27 sixes in Australia, which is the most in a single country. Even here, he beat the previous record of 25 held by Shahid Afridi but he shattered AB de Villiers’s record of 26 against India in India. One of his sixes off Marcus Stoinis also went past 100 meters as Australia faced the wrath of the Mumbai dasher. His fifth century in Australia was also the joint-most by a visiting player in Australia, matching Kumar Sangakkara. His tally of seven hundreds is the second-most by a batsman in ODIs against Australia behind Sachin Tendulkar’s nine.

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The India right-hander continued to blaze away and kept India in the hunt but with his dismissal for 133, India lost the initiative and Australia closed in on a victory. Rohit also holds the record for the highest individual score by an Indian batsman in Australia when he blasted 171 in the ODI in Perth in 2016 but that also ended up in a losing cause.