Ace Indian batsman Rohit Sharma has made it a habit to break records and consistently create new ones.
In the recently held first test match between India and South Africa held in Visakhapatnam that ended on 6th October, Sharma broke the record for the most number of sixes in a single test match. He hit a total of 13 sixes, surpassing the previous record held by Pakistan’s Wasim Akram. Akram hit a total of 12 sixes against Zimbabwe in a test match in 1996 in Sheikhpura in Pakistan.
Sharma, who is known to be a prolific one-day batsman, was not able to replicate his success in the longer format of the game. However, in the first test match, he proved his critics wrong. He scored centuries in both his innings, scoring 176 in the first and 127 in the second, powering India to a massive 203 run-win. In the process, he also became the first batsman ever to score two hundreds in his first test as an opener.
Back to back 💯s for the HITMAN. What a player 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/fhNkhvik2i
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 5, 2019
But he also broke a slew of other records. He became the only second opening batsman in India after Sunil Gavaskar to hit twin hundreds in a match.
India and South Africa, collectively, also broke the record for the most number of sixes in a test match. The two teams, put together, scored a total of 37 sixes. The previous record for most sixes – 35 – came during a match in Sharjah against Pakistan and New Zealand in 2014-15.
In the match, Indian bowler R Ashwin also equalled legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan’s record of becoming the fastest bowler to take 350 test wickets. They both achieved the feat in a mere 66 matches.
Meanwhile, India dominated over the Proteas by bundling the guests out for just 191 runs in the second innings. As a result, India won the match by 203 runs, gaining a 1-0 lead in the three-match test series.
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