Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan lavished praise on senior batter Rohit Sharma after he smashed a half-century in the first ODI against South Africa at JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi. Rohit, who already retired from Tests and T20Is, scored 57 off 51 in the first ODI, which helped India to put a 300-plus total against South Africa.
Irfan Pathan on Rohit Sharma's batting
Pathan lauded Rohit for his batting and the mindset he is moving forward with while smashing a half-century in the first ODI against South Africa
"As for Rohit Sharma, he seems to be at his peak. It doesn’t look like he is 38, he has improved his fitness. But the way he is playing according to the conditions and batting flawlessly, the half-century only shows with what mindset he is moving forward" said Irfan Pathan on his YouTube channel.
Rohit Sharma created a World record
With that knock, Rohit scripted a massive world record of the fastest player to hit 350 sixes in ODI cricket. The previous record was held by Pakistan legend Shahid Afridi, who took over 390 matches to reach the milestone. In stark contrast, Rohit accomplished the feat in just his 277th game, making him the first player in history to reach 350 sixes in fewer than 300 ODIs.
Batters with most sixes In ODIs
Rohit Sharma - 352 (277 matches)
Shahid Afridi - 351 (398 matches)
Chris Gayle - 331 (301 matches)
Sanath Jayasuriya - 270 (445 matches)
MS Dhoni - 229 (350 matches)
India defeated South Africa
A brilliant batting show by Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, followed by Kuldeep Yadav's four-wicket haul, helped India to register a 17-run win in the first ODI. Team India are leading 1-0 in the three-match ODI series. Rohit will now be seen in action in the second ODI, which will take place on December 3 at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Raipur.