5 Indian batsmen who have smashed the most sixes in ODIs

A batsman is awarded six runs when he can hit a delivery straight outside the boundary line through the aerial route with the ball not even touching the ground once. There have been many cricketers who made a name for themselves by hitting huge sixes. With the advent of limited overs cricket, six-hitting has become an art. It is a must for every middle order batsman or finisher to possess this ability to help his team post huge totals on the board and provide them momentum.

While India has not had too many six hitters in its ODI history, players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya are trying to change the trend.

Here’s a list of the 5 Indian batsmen who have smashed the most number of sixes in their ODI careers.

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#5 Yuvraj Singh - 155 Sixes

Yuvraj Singh is the only batsman on the planet to have struck 6 sixes in an over in T20Is when he achieved this feat against England in 2007, dispatching 6 Stuart Broad deliveries outside the ground. Yuvi was one of the biggest stars to have played for India and the Punjab born all-rounder made a name for himself by striking huge sixes. He played 278 ODI innings in his career and hit 155 sixes.

He has a career strike rate of 87.69 and he played in the middle order for India. Yuvraj aggregated 8701 runs in his ODI career and had a best score of 150. The Indian stalwart was last seen playing in Indian colors in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, where he could score only 105 runs in 5 matches.

#4 Sourav Ganguly - 190 Sixes

Sourav Ganguly, the left-handed batsman from West Bengal was one of the best batsmen for India. He not only helped the team reach newer heights with his explosive batting but his captaincy skills also took the Indian team to a new level. Ganguly used to open the innings with Sachin Tendulkar and the duo of Ganguly and Sachin is still one of the most successful Indian opening pairs in ODI format.

The Bengali cricketer smashed 190 sixes in the 300 innings he batted in his ODI career. He once held the top spot in this list but was overtaken by his opening partner Sachin Tendulkar soon after his retirement. He played his last One-Day International match against Pakistan in 2007. The fans affectionately nicknamed him Dada (which means elder brother in Bengali). Currently, the 46-year-old legend is the President of Cricket Association of Bengal.

#3 Sachin Tendulkar - 195 Sixes

The most successful batsman in cricket history, Sachin Tendulkar is the only cricketer to have scored 100 centuries in international cricket. Nicknamed as the God of Cricket, Sachin was the first batsman to score an ODI double century when the Master achieved his first ODI double hundred against South Africa in 2010.

Tendulkar was known as a batsman who struck more fours than sixes and thus the stalwart could only hit 195 sixes in the 452 innings he played in his ODI career. Sachin has played at multiple positions for India but he has been most successful opening the innings. Tendulkar played his last ODI against Pakistan in 2012. The Little Master received an epic farewell when he played his last Test match in November 2013 at his home ground.

Sachin was ranked number 2 for a long time on this list before the Hitman overtook him a few days ago.

#2 Rohit Sharma - 198 Sixes

Rohit Sharma has emerged as the most dangerous batsman in ODI format. He is the only player on the planet to have scored 3 ODI double centuries and he also holds the record for the highest individual score in ODIs (264). Rohit has revived his ODI career ever since he started opening the innings.

Sharma has hit 198 sixes in the 186 ODI innings he has taken part in. He is the only player on this list who has hit more sixes than the number of innings he has played. With Sharma continuing to play with his aggressive approach, he may soon be the number 1 six-hitter from India. Rohit has sent the deliveries of even the best bowlers in the world out of the ground with much ease and it is a treat to watch him hit sixes for fun.

#1 MS Dhoni - 218 Sixes

MS Dhoni is responsible for the six-hitting revolution Indian cricket is witnessing currently. The Ranchi boy inspired many youngsters to approach batting with an aggressive style. A young Dhoni, with long hair, smashing the bowlers for huge sixes helped him make a name for himself in the cricketing world. MS Dhoni is the most successful Indian wicket-keeper and captain but apart from these, he also stands first in hitting sixes in the One-Day Internationals.

In the 281 innings he has played in ODIs, Dhoni has whacked 218 sixes. The Indian wicket-keeper set a trend of finishing matches with a six which earned him the label of India’s best finisher.

Do you think Rohit Sharma will overtake MS Dhoni to become the new no.1 in the list of Indian ODI batsmen with most sixes? Share your opinions in the comments box below.