India vs New Zealand 2019, 2nd T20I: 4 milestones breached by Rohit Sharma

India scripted a fighting comeback into the 3-match T20I series at Auckland, beating New Zealand by 7 wickets. The Men in Blue outshone the hosts in all the departments, as they levelled the series to set a decider at Hamilton. Batting first, New Zealand were restricted to 158-8, as the Indian bowlers did not allow any partnership to blossom, picking wickets at regular intervals. Krunal Pandya was the pick of the bowlers, with figures of 3-28 in his spell of 4 overs, and was well supported by other bowlers.

The batting unit, too, displayed solidarity, with captain Rohit Sharma leading from the front, as he scored a brisk knock of 50. The Hitman was keen to make an impact after a couple of dismal outings started off in a swift fashion. He built a solid base, which was well capitalised by Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni to hand India their third victory over the Kiwis in the shortest format of the game.

En route his half-century, Rohit Sharma etched breached milestones. Let us have a look at these records:

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#4 Most boundaries in T20Is

Rohit Sharma tumbled the record of the most boundaries in T20Is en route his fiery knock of 50 from 29 deliveries. Rohit cleared the boundary ropes on 7 occasions, hitting 3 fours and 4 sixes. He went past Martin Guptill, who has 304 boundaries, when he smacked Ish Sodhi for a huge six at backward square leg. Hitman now has 306 boundaries to his name, which include 204 fours and 102 maximums.

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#3 Most 50+ scores in T20Is

Rohit Sharma now holds the record for the most 50+ scores in the shortest format of the game, as he smashed his 16th T20I fifty against the Kiwis. He went past compatriot Virat Kohli, with whom he earlier shared the apex spot. Rohit now has 20 scores in excess of 50 to his name, out of which he has breached the three-figure mark on four occasions.

#2 Third player to hit 100+ sixes

Rohit Sharma has been nicknamed 'The Hitman' for his ability to hit gigantic sixes. A ferocious striker of the ball, he can single-handedly take the game away from any opposition with his pinch hitting. That is exactly what he did today, as he got the team off to a flying start in the pursuit of a modest score, thus annihilating all the hopes of New Zealand victory.

Rohit deposited the ball into the stands on four occasions, thereby becoming the third player and the first Indian to hit 100 sixes in the shortest format of cricket. Rohit now has 102 sixes to his name and stands just two short of surpassing the world record of 103 maximums jointly held by Martin Guptill and Chris Gayle.

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#1 Most runs in T20Is

Rohit Sharma has created an unprecedented impact in white ball cricket, particularly in the shortest format of the game. He has been at his savage best in the last few years, scoring runs at will. The Hitman had been competing with the Kiwi opener Martin Guptill for the top spot in the run scorer's list for quite some time. Coincidentally, he breached the record playing against New Zealand on their soil.

Rohit is now the highest run scorer in the shortest format, with 2288 runs to his name in 84 innings from 92 matches. He etched the record in style, as he deposited an Ish Sodhi-delivery into the stands, thereby also completing 100 sixes.

With this, the top run scorers in all three formats are now Indians – with Sachin Tendulkar being the highest run-scorer in Tests and ODIs.