Team India skipper Rohit Sharma squandered a promising start in the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final against New Zealand on November 15 in Mumbai.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Sharma hit the ground running. In the knockouts, he resumed his aggressive hitting, amassing boundaries at will to give the Men in Blue a rousing start.
During his 29-ball 47-run innings, Sharma hit four boundaries and six sixes. He appeared to be on track for a massive knock until hitting a fake shot off Tim Southee, which resulted in his ejection.
Rohit Sharma was quick to seize the opportunity, aiming to knock the slower delivery over the mid-on fielder. He did not, however, have perfect time, and the ball shot upward. With one of the safest sets of hands in international cricket, Kane Williamson broke the partnership with a stunning catch after running back and getting under the ball.
You can watch the dismissal here:
Team India will now try to capitalize on Rohit Sharma’s spectacular start. The hosts will be hoping Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli form a strong connection and create the platform for the power-hitters to shine.
The Men in Blue were comfortably positioned at 103/1 after 12.3 overs at the time of writing.
Rohit Sharma Breaks World Cup Record for Most Sixes
Throughout the World Cup, Team India’s captain has been a joy to watch with the bat. Despite having just one hundred and two fifties to his name, Sharma has performed several quickfire runs at the outset of innings to give the side a blazing start.
During his 47-ball innings against New Zealand in Mumbai today, the right-hander hammered four sixes. With this, the senior cricketer has now recorded the most sixes by a hitter in a single edition of the flagship competition, with 27.
Sharma surpassed former West Indies batsman Chris Gayle, who hit 26 sixes during the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2015.