 "Rohit Sharma could overtake Shahid Afridi for a massive ODI batting world record in the first ODI between India and South Africa on Sunday. Image: PTI")
Rohit Sharma is just 98 runs away from a major batting milestone and three sixes away from a world record, which he is most likely to achieve in the upcoming India vs South Africa ODI series if not in the first match at the JSCA International Stadium Complex on Sunday (30 November). The ODI series would mark Rohit’s return to Team India after over a month.
He last played a match on 25 October in Sydney, scoring 121 not out as India won by nine wickets. The match-winning knock has taken the 38-year-old Rohit to 19,902 runs in 502 matches in all formats. The former India captain Rohit also has 50 hundreds and 109 fifties to his name.
Rohit eyes sixes world record in ODIs
With 98 more runs in the series against South Africa, Rohit would complete 20,000 runs in international cricket across all formats. Only 13 batters in the history of cricket have managed to cross the 20,000-run barrier in international games, including the great Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid from India.
So far in his career, Rohit has scored 4,301 runs in 67 Tests, 11,370 runs in 276 ODIs and 4,231 runs in 159 ODIs. Having retired from Tests and T20Is, ODIs are the only format where Rohit can add more runs to his impressive international tally.
Players with most runs in ODIs
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | MATCHES | RUNS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 664 | 34,357 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka, Asia, ICC | 594 | 28,016 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 553 | 27,673 |
| Ricky Ponting | Australia, ICC | 560 | 27,483 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka, Asia | 652 | 25,957 |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa, Africa, ICC | 519 | 25,534 |
| Rahul Dravid | India, Asia, ICC | 509 | 24,208 |
| Brian Lara | West Indies, ICC | 430 | 22,358 |
| Joe Root | England | 377 | 21,774 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka, Asia | 586 | 21,032 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | West Indies | 454 | 20,988 |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq | Pakistan, Asia, ICC | 499 | 20,580 |
| AB de Villiers | South Africa, Africa | 420 | 20,014 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 502 | 19,902 |
Meanwhile, there’s another massive world record that Rohit can break in the ODI series. The Hitman has smashed 349 sixes in 276 ODIs so far, which is the second-highest for a player. Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi holds the world record with 351 sixes in 398 ODIs.
Rohit needs just three sixes in the three-match India vs South Africa ODI series to surpass former Pakistan all-rounder Afridi.
Players with most sixes in ODIs
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | MATCHES | RUNS | SIXES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shahid Afridi | Pakistan, ICC, Asia | 398 | 8064 | 351 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 276 | 11,370 | 349 |
| Chris Gayle | West Indies, ICC | 301 | 10,480 | 331 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka, Asia | 445 | 13,430 | 270 |
| MS Dhoni | India, Asia | 350 | 10,773 | 229 |
Seven sixes in the series would help him overtake David Warner, who holds the record for most sixes (64) against South Africa in ODIs. Rohit has so far hit 58 sixes against the Proteas.
The Mumbaikar also needs just 133 runs to become the third Indian batter with 5,000 or more ODI runs in India. Rohit currently has 4,867 runs to his name from 93 ODI innings in India. Sachin Tendulkar scored 6,976 runs in India in 160 innings, while Kohli has accumulated 6,325 runs in 121 innings in India.