Indian opener Rohit Sharma became the fastest batsman to smash 200 sixes in ODIs during the fifth One-Day International (ODI) between India and West Indies on Thursday at Thiruvananthapuram.
Sharma has hit 200 sixes in 187 innings, surpassing ex-Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi who took 195 innings to achieve the same feat.
He also became the third batsman to complete 1,000 ODI runs in 2018 after Virat Kohli and Johny Bairstow. Sharma had accumulated 973 runs while representing India in the ODI format before the clash and needed 27 more runs to cross 1,000 runs.
The 31-year-old cricketer smashed 63 runs off 56 deliveries in an innings comprising of five boundaries and four sixes during the Thiruvananthapuram ODI, entering the record books following the spectacular knock.
This is the third calendar year in which the opener has scored 1000 runs in ODI's, having formerly registered the same in 2013 and 2017 as well. Sourav Ganguly, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tilakratne Dilshan and Sachin Tendulkar are the only other openers to have 1,000 plus runs in more calendar years than him.
India managed to chase down a target of 105 runs within just 15 overs on the back of a stunning performance by the opener who stitched a comprehensive partnership with skipper Virat Kohli, leading the hosts on to a 3-1 win in the five-match ODI series.
