IND vs BAN | Power not a necessity in hitting big sixes, believes Rohit Sharma

In the second T20I in Rajkot, it was a hitman show as stand-in captain Rohit Sharma went berserk over the Bangladesh bowling line up. Sharma scored 85 runs to take his side home while chasing a modest total of 154 with more than four overs to spare.

Rohit, who was playing his 100th T20I, hit 6 fours and 6 sixes during his 43 ball stay at the crease and levelled the series for India. He went to hit three consecutive sixes against Mosaddek Hossain and shared that he was looking to hit six maximums off him. Talking about his fascinating ability to hit sixes with ease, with Yuzvendra Chahal, Sharma opined that muscle power isn’t the only prerequisite of hitting the long ball.

“When I hit three consecutive sixes, I tried to go for six maximums. But when I missed the fourth one, I decided I will take singles,” he said on Chahal TV.

“You don’t need a huge body and muscles to hit big sixes. Even you (Chahal) can hit sixes. Power is not the only thing you need to hit sixes, you need timing as well. The ball should hit the middle of the bat and your head should be still. So, there are a number of things you need in order to hit a six.”

During the innings, Rohit overtook Dhoni to become the Indian captain with most sixes in T20Is by taking his tally to 37. While Dhoni has 34 to his name, Kohli is third on the list with 26 sixes. 

Rohit also became the batsmen with most sixes in 2019 across all formats with 66 sixes and counting. He also achieved this feat in 2017 with 65 and in 2018 with 74 maximums.

“It was very important for us to give a good start to the team as it is often seen that a set batsman wins the match for the team. I was a little unhappy that I got out at the wrong time. But nevertheless, I am happy with my performance as well as that of the team because we were under a lit bit of pressure.”

“We had lost the first match in Delhi and it was important to win here in Rajkot,” he added.