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Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi praised India’s talismanic batter Rohit Sharma for breaking his record of hitting the most sixes in One Day Internationals (ODIs).
A week earlier, Sharma etched his name into the history books after shattering Shahid Afridi’s record for most sixes in ODIs during the clash against South Africa.
The right-handed batter reached the landmark in his 277th match.
RG Sharma (IND): 2007–2025 — 271 inns, 11516 runs, 355 sixes
Shahid Afridi (PAK): 1996–2015 — 369 inns, 8,064 runs, 351 sixes
Chris Gayle (WI): 1999–2019 — 294 inns, 10,480 runs, 331 sixes
Sanath Jayasuriya (SL): 1989–2011 — 433 inns, 13,430 runs, 270 sixes
MS Dhoni (IND): 2004–2019 — 297 inns, 10,773 runs, 229 sixes
Afridi, who held the record for 15 years, spoke about Sharma’s ability and expressed his views on the feat.
“Records are meant to be broken, and this too is now bettered. I am happy that a player I have always liked has broken this record,” he said.
My record of the fastest century stood for nearly 18 years, but it was finally broken. Records are set by one player, and another comes and breaks them. This is cricket,” Afridi explained.
“I played alongside Rohit for the Deccan Chargers in my only IPL season. During practice, I watched him bat, and his class impressed me. I knew he would one day play for India, and he has proved himself as a classy batter.”
The six-hitting maestro also talked about the ace duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, calling them the cornerstones of India’s batting line-up.
“It’s a fact that Virat and Rohit are the backbones of the Indian batting line-up, and the way they have played in the recent ODI series, it can confidently be said that they can play until the 2027 World Cup,” the 48-year-old said.
“You need to preserve both these players. When India face weaker teams, they can try some new players and rest Virat and Rohit,” he added.
He also slammed India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, for his decisions.
“The way Gautam started his stint, it looked like he thought whatever he says is right. But after some time, it is proven that you are not always right,” he concluded.
