Indian captain Rohit Sharma scored 35 runs off 20 balls in the third ODI against Sri Lanka on August 7 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. During his innings, the 37-year-old Rohit hit six fours and one six. His six on the second ball of the fourth over, bowled by Maheesh Theekshana, allowed him to equal Chris Gayle’s record of 331 sixes and become the second-highest six-hitter in ODI history.
Rohit, who made his ODI debut on June 23, 2007, against Ireland, has amassed 331 sixes in 265 matches, while Gayle hit the same number in 301 ODIs. Shahid Afridi holds the record with 351 sixes from 398 ODIs.
Most Sixes in ODIs
1. Shahid Afridi – 351
2. Rohit Sharma – 331
3. Chris Gayle – 331
4. Sanath Jayasuriya – 270
5. MS Dhoni – 229
Rohit’s 35-run knock also made him the fourth Indian cricketer to surpass 2000 runs against Sri Lanka in ODIs, joining Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni. Tendulkar leads with 3113 runs in 84 ODIs against Sri Lanka, Kohli has 2652 runs in 56 ODIs, and Dhoni scored 2383 runs in 67 matches. Rohit has accumulated 2021 runs in 55 matches against Sri Lanka.
Most Runs for India Against Sri Lanka in ODIs
1. Sachin Tendulkar – 3113
2. Virat Kohli – 2652
3. MS Dhoni – 2383
4. Rohit Sharma – 2021
5. Mohammad Azharuddin – 1834
Despite Rohit’s significant contribution, India failed to chase the target of 249 runs in the final match and lost by 110 runs. This defeat allowed Charith Asalanka to become the first Sri Lankan captain in 27 years to win a bilateral ODI series against India. The last such series win was in 1997 during Sachin Tendulkar’s captaincy.
