Rohit was not a prolific six-hitter at the beginning of his ODI career. He hit his first in his third innings – against Pakistan in Jaipur – but by the time he scored his maiden hundred in his 40th innings, in May 2010, he had only five sixes off 1023 balls faced.
Three years later, against Australia in Bengaluru, Rohit let loose, smashing 16 sixes – a record for an ODI innings at the time – on his way to the first of three double-centuries. Until then, he had hit only 36 sixes in 102 ODI innings at a rate of 102.14 balls per six.His six-hitting skyrocketed after that – 316 in 167 innings with a six every 27.35 balls on average. During this period, only two batters hit more than 150 sixes in ODIs – Jos Buttler (171) and Eoin Morgan (155). Since he became all-format captain in 2022, Rohit’s balls-per-six ratio has improved even further to 17.69 – 107 sixes in 46 innings.Rohit only got better at six-hitting after becoming India’s ODI captain – striking 126 sixes in 55 innings at a ratio of 17.76 balls per six. Only Morgan (147 sixes in 115 innings) has more sixes as an ODI captain.Rohit holds the following records: most sixes against a team (93 vs Australia), most in a country (182 in India), and most in a year (67 in 2023). Rohit has also hit the most sixes in the ODI World Cup – 54, including 31 in the 2023 World Cup, also a record.
So whom did Rohit hit for six?
Rohit hit ten sixes off just 128 balls from offspinner Glenn Maxwell, eight sixes off 102 balls from legspinner Shadab Khan. Among fast bowlers, Rohit hit seven sixes each off the Australians Clint McKay, Kane Richardson, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.
Marco Jansen, who was on the receiving end of the record 352nd six, was the 150th bowler to be hit for a six by Rohit in ODIs. The only bowler off whom Rohit faced more than 100 balls without hitting a six is the West Indian offspinner Marlon Samuels, followed by Shahid Afridi (89 balls).
Rohit hit 232 sixes off fast bowlers and 120 against spinners. As many as 123 sixes against pace have come while playing the pull or hook shot, and 188 of his 352 sixes are in the region from backward square-leg to deep midwicket.
Rohit has hit 130 sixes in the first ten overs of an ODI innings, only behind Gayle’s tally of 152 in matches where ball-by-ball data is available. Between the 11th and 40th overs, he has 170 sixes, the most by any batter, while another 52 were hit in the last ten overs.
How the record changed hands over the years
Before Rohit, the record for most sixes in ODIs changed 18 times, starting with former Australian captain Ian Chappell, who was the first to hit a six in the format – at the MCG in 1971. Allrounders Richard Hadlee and Chris Old then held the record briefly before the West Indians took over from 1976.
Clive Lloyd, Gordon Greenidge and Viv Richards were at the forefront for West Indies, and challenged by Ian Botham, Lance Cairns. Eventually Richards emerged on top, becoming the first batter to 50 sixes (in 1985) and 100 sixes (in 1987) in ODIs. He was the highest six-hitter until February 2001 – for 6091 days – the longest anyone has held the ODI record. Sanath Jayasuriya was the first to overtake Richards, edging out Sachin Tendulkar.
Tendulkar was the only Indian batter to come close to the record before Rohit. He was tied on 124 sixes with Jayasuriya at the end of 2000, only two behind Richards’ 126. Jayasuriya’s record 127th six came in Auckland in February 2001 and then the record changed hands between him and Afridi for nearly a decade. Jayasuriya was the first to 150 and 250 sixes, while Afridi was the first to 200, 300 and 350. After Jayasuriya stopped playing ODIs, Afridi’s 15-year reign began with his 271st six in June 2010.
Rohit ended Afridi’s stay at the top after 5641 days, the second longest after Richards.
Can anyone overtake Rohit?
Among active players, Buttler is second to Rohit with 182 sixes, while Virat Kohli (159) is the only other batter with 150-plus sixes. Both are more than 35 years old. The most sixes by an active player below the age of 30 in ODIs is 70, by Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who turned 24 last week.
Rohit could become the first to hit 400 sixes in ODIs if he plays for couple of more years. Even if he doesn’t, he could still hold the record for a long time, with no other contenders in sight and the reduction in the number of ODIs played.
