History incoming? Rohit Sharma just steps away from a career-defining feat | Cricket News

India’s Rohit Sharma (Photo by Ayush Kumar/Getty Images)

Rohit Sharma is inching closer to another significant milestone as India prepare to take on South Africa in the opening ODI in Ranchi on Sunday. The former Indian captain, long regarded as one of the finest white-ball opening batsmen of his generation, is now just a few big hits away from becoming the owner of one of ODI cricket’s most prized records. Rohit needs only three more sixes to become the batsman who has hit the most lethal sixes in the history of One Day International. Currently, he has 349 sixes, just two short of Pakistan legend Shahid Afridi’s long-standing record of 351. Once Rohit hits his 352nd six, he will overtake Afridi and officially take over the top spot on the all-time list. With the kind of form he has shown in the recent ODI series against Australia, it may take just a few balls for the record to be recreated.Most sixes in ODI

However, Rohit’s growing list of achievements does not end here. The India captain is inches away from registering his name in another prestigious chapter of world cricket. Having scored 19,902 international runs across all formats, Rohit is set to become only the fourth Indian batsman to cross the 20,000-run barrier. He needs just 98 more runs to join the elite club of Indian greats along with Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid. He currently has 4,301 runs in Test matches, 11,370 ODI runs and 4,231 runs in T20Is, earned in 502 international matches. Tendulkar tops the all-time global charts with 34,357 runs, followed by Kohli (27,673) and Dravid (24,064). After moving away from T20Is after the 2024 World Cup and retiring from Test cricket earlier this year, Rohit now represents India exclusively in ODIs. He returned to action against the Proteas in strong form thanks to his match-winning unbeaten 121 in Sydney, which saved India from a whitewash against Australia. Virat Kohli, who has come into the ODI role only, will reunite with Rohit for the Ranchi encounter. With India reeling from a 0-2 Test defeat in South Africa, the onus will be heavy on the senior pair as the team looks to regain stability and control in the 50-over format.