Team India skipper Rohit Sharma achieved two major milestones on his way to an unbeaten 52 against Ireland in their T20 World Cup 2024 opener on Wednesday in New York. Apart from becoming only the 3rd batter in T20I history to complete 4000 runs, the right-handed batter, he became the first to reach 600 sixes in international cricket.
The 37-year-old reached the landmark of 4000 runs in the 10th over of the innings, joining Babar Azam and Virat Kohli in the list. The landmark of 600 sixes was breached by the veteran opening batter in the 9th over when he hit a couple off Josh Little's bowling. The closest to Rohit is Gayle, who is on 553.
Nevertheless, the Nagpur-born cricketer could not stay until the end and retired hurt due to being hit on the elbow earlier in his innings. However, the Men in Blue coasted to an easy eight-wicket win as Rishabh Pant stayed in the middle to see them over the line.
"Don't think the wicket settled down even when we batted second" - Rohit Sharma
At the post-match presentation, Rohit Sharma reflected on the tricky surface, claiming that the players' Test-match skills were handy and conceded that they will prepare for the big match against Pakistan, expecting the conditions to be this way.
"I said it at the toss as well. Quite unsure of what to expect from the pitch. Not aware on what it is to play like on a pitch that's five months old. I don't think the wicket settled down even when we batted second. There was enough for the bowlers. That's pretty much what you gotta do. Try to hit those lengths consistently. All these guys have played a lot of Test cricket. I don't know what to expect from the pitch to be honest. We will prepare as if the conditions are going to be like this (for Pakistan game)."
Rohit also remained confident of featuring against Pakistan despite the sore arm.
