India vs West Indies: Rohit Sharma joins MS Dhoni in elite list; creates world record
India vs West Indies, 5th ODI: Rohit Sharma decided to take the match by the scruff of the neck as he teed off and smacked 4 sixes and 5 boundaries to race to his 37th ODI fifty.
After bundling out West Indies for a paltry 104, the Indian batsmen led by Rohit Sharma made an absolute mockery of the score as they thundered past the target in only 15 overs.
India cricketer Rohit Sharma (C) celebrates after scoring a century (100 runs) during the fourth one day international (ODI) cricket match between India and West Indies. (AFP)
After a slightly sedate start, Rohit Sharma decided to take the match by the scruff of the neck as he teed off and smacked 4 sixes and 5 boundaries to race to his 37th ODI fifty. He was especially severe on the back of the length deliveries as he stayed back and hoicked them away deep into the stands.
On a pitch which was tacky and sticky, Rohit’s approach was fearless and India cruised past the target.
Rohit now has 200 sixes in ODI cricket and is the second Indian on the list. He moved past Sachin Tendulkar (195) and is now behind former captain MS Dhoni (211).
The opener also became the fastest cricketer in ODI history to reach 200 sixes, as he achieved the feat in only 187 innings. He bettered the record of former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi who had taken 195 innings to do the same.
Head coach Ravi Shastri did confess at the end of the match that his side received a wake up call after the first couple of matches and this helped the team dig in and put forward comprehensive performances.
“We are back on track. I thought we were below par in the field in the second and third ODI. We could have done much better. Sometimes you need a wake-up call and we were at our best in the last two ODIs,” Shastri said at the end of the match.