The 38-year-old hit three boundaries in his short stay in the middle while also smashing two elegant maximums, which not only got the crowd on their feet but also helped him smash the record books.
Rohit Sharma Creates History
Rohit now has the most sixes by an opener in ODI cricket and went past Chris Gayle on the elite list. The legendary West Indies cricketer held the world record for a long time. Rohit and Gayle are the only openers in the 50-over format to score over 300 maximum.
Most Sixes by An Opener In ODIs
| Player | Sixes | Innings | Span |
| Rohit Sharma (India) | 329 | 191 | 2011-2026 |
| Chris Gayle (West Indies) | 328 | 274 | 2000-2019 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) | 263 | 383 | 1993-2011 |
| Martin Guptill (New Zealand) | 174 | 174 | 2009-2022 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (India) | 167 | 340 | 1994-2012 |
Rohit also has the most sixes by a player in ODI cricket history. During India’s previous series against South Africa, he broke Shahid Afridi’s record (351). He currently has 357 maximums to his name. Gayle is third on the list (331), followed by Jayasuriya (270) and MS Dhoni (229).
Across all formats of international cricket, Rohit completed 650 sixes and became the first player to achieve the milestone. No other player has even 600 maximums, with Gayle in second place, now almost 100 maximums behind (553). Rohit had gone past Gayle’s tally during the 2023 World Cup. Rohit also leads the list among openers in all formats with 569 sixes, with Gayle in second spot (529).
Most Sixes In International Cricket (All Formats)
| Player | Sixes | Innings | Span |
| Rohit Sharma (India) | 650 | 539 | 2007-2026 |
| Chris Gayle (West Indies) | 553 | 551 | 1999-2021 |
| Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) | 476 | 508 | 1996-2018 |
| Brendon McCullum (New Zealand) | 398 | 474 | 2002-2016 |
| Jos Buttler (England) | 387 | 401 | 2011-2025 |
Meanwhile, Rohit is also the leading six-hitter in T20Is with 205 sixes to his name. He is the only player with over 200 maximums in the shortest format of the game. UAE skipper Muhammed Waseem is second (187) while Martin Guptill is next among full-member nation players (173).
As far as Test cricket is concerned, Rohit hit 88 sixes for India. He is 11th on the list for most sixes in the longest format’s 149-year-old history. Among Indian players, only Virender Sehwag (91) and Rishabh Pant (94) are ahead of him.
Talking about the match, New Zealand posted 300 on the board after India chose to bowl first. A 128-run partnership between Gill and Virat Kohli set India on course for victory.