Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has reacted after India&rsquo;s Rohit Sharma surpassed his long-standing record for most sixes in One Day Internationals. 
Sharma overtook Afridi&rsquo;s tally of 351 sixes during the second ODI against South Africa in Raipur and now holds 355 sixes in 279 matches.
Afridi extended support to both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, describing them as essential to India&rsquo;s ODI setup and dismissing any talk of phasing them out before the next global tournament. 
&ldquo;It's a fact that Virat and Rohit are the backbone of the Indian batting line-up, and the way they have played in the recent ODI series, it can confidently be said that they can play until the 2027 World Cup,&rdquo; he was quoted as saying.
He added that India should prioritise the senior players in key series. 
&ldquo;You need to preserve both these stars, and when India is playing against a weaker team, they can try some new players and rest Virat and Rohit,&rdquo; Afridi said.
Afridi also criticised India&rsquo;s head coach Gautam Gambhir, recalling the pair&rsquo;s past on-field encounters. 
&ldquo;The way Gautum started his stint, it looked like he thought that what he thinks and says is right, but after some time, it was proved that you are not always right.&rdquo;
Speaking about Rohit overtaking his ODI sixes record, Afridi expressed satisfaction. 
&ldquo;Records are meant to be broken, and this too is now bettered. I am happy that a player whom I have always liked has broken this record.&rdquo;
Reflecting on his own career achievements, he added, &ldquo;My record of fastest century stood for nearly 18 years, but it was finally broken, so records are set by one player and another player comes and breaks it. This is cricket.&rdquo;
Afridi, who played alongside Rohit during his stint with the Deccan Chargers in the 2008 Indian Premier League, recalled being impressed with the Indian batter&rsquo;s talent early on. 
&ldquo;During practice sessions of the Charges, I watched him bat, and his class impressed me. I knew that one day Rohit would play for India, and he has proved himself as a classy batter,&rdquo; he said.

Afridi speaking as Rohit bats in background

Afridi praises Rohit after losing ODI sixes record, says Rohit & Kohli must play till 2027

Afridi Reacts As Rohit Breaks His Record

Afridi praises Rohit after losing ODI sixes record, says Rohit & Kohli must play till 2027

December 10, 2025 | 10:33 IST