Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma stands on the brink of entering one of the most exclusive clubs in the sport's history. As the Men in Blue prepare for the second One Day International against South Africa in Raipur this Wednesday, the 'Hitman' needs a mere 41 runs to cross the monumental threshold of 20,000 runs in international cricket.
Joining the Legends of Indian Cricket
Should Rohit Sharma achieve this landmark, his name will be etched alongside the titans of Indian batting: Sachin Tendulkar (34,357 runs), Virat Kohli (27,808 runs), and Rahul Dravid (24,064 runs). This elite quartet will represent the only Indian batters to have ever scaled this peak, a testament to sustained excellence across formats and over a long career.
Rohit's journey to this point spans 503 international matches, where he has amassed 19,959 runs at an impressive average of 42.46. His tally includes a staggering 50 centuries and 110 half-centuries. The runs are distributed as 4,301 in Test cricket, 11,427 in ODIs, and 4,231 in the T20 International format.
Current Form and Format Focus
With his retirement from T20 Internationals after the 2024 World Cup and a step back from Test cricket since May, the 50-over format is now Rohit Sharma's sole active international arena. He has embraced this focus with remarkable consistency in 2024. In 12 ODIs this year, he has scored 561 runs at an average of 51.00, which includes two hundreds and three fifties, with a top score of an unbeaten 121.
His form has been particularly fluent in recent outings. During the ODI series in Australia last month, he registered a fifty and a century. He carried that momentum into the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi, playing a characteristically brisk innings of 57 runs off just 51 balls.
Breaking Records and Setting New Benchmarks
The first ODI against the Proteas was historic for Rohit in another significant way. He shattered a long-standing record by becoming the batter with the most sixes in ODI cricket history. Needing three sixes to surpass Pakistan's Shahid Afridi's tally of 351, Rohit cleared the ropes in style and now sits atop the list with 352 sixes. Astonishingly, he reached this milestone in 269 innings, a full 100 innings fewer than Afridi.
As the cricket world turns its eyes to the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur, all anticipation is on whether the Indian skipper will notch those 41 runs. Following the South Africa series, Rohit is expected to lead India in the home ODI series against New Zealand, providing further opportunities to add to his legendary tally.
