Rohit Sharma enters the record books with a historic feat in a rain-hit Wellington ODI

Rohit Sharma made ODI history on Saturday by becoming the batsman with the highest number of sixes against New Zealand in the 50-over format. The Indian opener achieved the milestone during the second ODI at the Hnry Stadium in Wellington, breaking former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi’s long-standing record.Rohit needed two sixes to surpass Afridi’s 50-high against the Black Caps and reach the landmark during his 23-run knock off 28 deliveries in India’s chase of 135. The 39-year-old hit a record-breaking two sixes off New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson, one each in the seventh and seventh overs.The Mumbai batsman, who registered a six-ball duck in the series opener in Auckland on Wednesday, bounced back with several maximums to take his tally to 51 sixes in 34 innings in 36 ODIs against New Zealand.Afridi hit 50 sixes in 35 innings from 38 matches against the Black Caps between 1996 and 2015. West Indies’ Chris Gayle is third with 45 sixes, while former Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya is fourth with 41. England’s Jos Virattler is the best and India’s six, The Six The Six The Kohatli

Most ODI sixes against New Zealand

Player CountryTime SpanMatchesInningsRunsHighest Score100s50s4s6sRohit SharmaIndia2009-2026363411571472610451*Shahid AfridiPakistan1996-201538351078108*191GayrisleWest Indies2002-2019302810261352510245Sanath JayasuriyaSri Lanka1991-2009474515191405815441Jos ButtlerEngland2013-20252825832129Virat4 KohliIndia2010-202638381978154*71118229Rohit’s milestone came in a rain-affected contest as India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Chasing a modest target of 135 in a match reduced to 47 overs per side, India found themselves in a difficult position at 113/7 after 26 overs when rain halted the match.With India needing 23 more runs and only three wickets remaining, New Zealand looked to have a chance of a comeback. However, India were four runs short of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) required score when play was suspended, giving them a four-run victory.The New Zealand bowlers made life difficult for the visitors, with Jamieson and Jacob Duffy taking six wickets between them. Both finished with identical figures of 3/35, with Duffy removing Shubman Gill for a first-ball duck and Kohli for seven.India slumped to 47/4 before Shreyas Iyer leveled the innings with 30 off 46 balls. Rohit’s 23 also provided some stability while KL Rahul remained unbeaten on 26 when the rain hit.India subsequently lost Naman Dhir and Anshul Kamboj in quick succession after reaching 86/5, leaving the lower order with an uphill task. However, rain ended New Zealand’s hopes of defending the whole and the match was eventually called off amid heavy downpour at around 11:00pm local time.The result gave India their second consecutive DLS win after they beat New Zealand by five wickets in the opening ODI in Auckland where the hosts were bowled out for 185.