Watch: In an extremely rare occurrence, Shaheen Afridi was hit for a six in the first over of the innings when Rohit Sharma flicked him over the fine leg fence in the India vs Pakistan Super Fours game in Colombo today (September 10).
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In the first India-Pakistan match in the 2023 Asia Cup, Rohit flicked Afridi for a four off the second ball of the first over of the innings. He did one better today (September 10) in the Super Fours game as he went over the boundary line this time, flicking Afridi for a six in the very first over of the innings.
Having been put into bat after losing the toss, Afridi started on the money, attacking the right-hander’s stumps as he always does. The first five balls brought no runs before a leg stump half-volley presented Rohit with an opportunity to free his arms. He followed through completely with the flick and managed to land it across the boundary rope.
Rohit has looked to be more aggressive at the top of the order in recent times. That six was his 17th this year in ODIs inside the first 10 overs of the innings, the most he has hit in this phase in a single calendar year.
While it wasn’t something new for Rohit, it was an extremely rare event as far as Afridi was concerned. Known for taking wickets in the first few overs with the new ball, this was the first time that Afridi was hit for a six in the first over of an ODI innings.
Rohit was then tested in a sharp, probing spell by Naseem Shah before he cut loose towards the end of the powerplay. Rohit hit 26 off five balls against Shadab Khanbefore chipping one to long-off off the latter’s bowling to end his promising innings at 56.
