India's stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma achieved hosts of personal milestones on Friday as India chased to level the three-match Twenty20 International series against New Zealand.
The 30-year-old entered the second match at Eden Park, Auckland with 2238 runs from 83 innings. He needed 35 runs to overtake Martin Guptill's 2272, and did it by hitting a six off the second ball in the 8th over, bowled by Ish Sodhi.
Third on the list is Pakistan veteran Shoaib Malik with 2245 runs. Virat Kohli is on fourth with 2167 runs. Former Kiwi captain Brendon McCullum completes the top-five with 2140 runs.
Rohit notched up his 20th 50+ scores in the format, thus going past Virat Kohli (19) as the lone holder of the record for most such scores. Third on the list is Guptill, with 16.
During his 29-ball knock, he scored 50 with the help of three fours and four sixes.
Rohit, in the process, also became the third batsman to hit 100 sixes in T20Is after Guptill and the West Indies great Chris Gayle – both the openers have 103 sixes. Rohit now has 102 sixes.
India needed 159 runs to level the three-match series. India lost the first match by 80 runs on Wednesday at Wellington. It was their biggest defeat in the format in terms of runs.
