Team India defeated Australia by six wickets in the rain-curtailed second T20I in Nagpur on Friday. With their win over the Kangaroos, Rohit and his men leveled the three-match series at 1-1 and equaled Pakistan's massive world record in T20Is. It was India's 20th victory in the format in 2022, becoming just the second team after Pakistan to win as many matches in a calendar year.

India's record-equalling feat was instantly hailed on social media with several netizens taking to Twitter to laud Rohit Sharma and company for their special achievement.

https://twitter.com/43and49allout/status/1573366953364049920

Rohit Sharma was the hero of India's win as he proved his doubters wrong with his sensational innings at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.

The 34-year-old delighted not just his legion of fans but legendary Sunil Gavaskar as well. The star batter played a sparkling knock of 46 not out off just 20 deliveries to power the home team to a six-wicket win.

“What you saw with Rohit today was a measured approach. It wasn't anything where he was looking to defend, but he was being a lot more selective. And look, when he is playing those flick shots or the swivel pull shots, he is very good at that. Where he gets into trouble is where he is looking to play on the off-side, just tonks it up like that, that's where he hits the ball up in the air rather than into the stands. That's the only thing that he is going to watch out for,” Sunil Gavaskar told host broadcaster Star Sports.

“Otherwise, when he is hitting it in his range, he has got absolutely no problems at all. That's what he should be looking to do. Today was such a measured innings. He was waiting, cutting the ball, pulling, he was not going bang straight away. That is the reason why he batted so brilliantly,” Sunil Gavaskar explained.

Even Australia captain Aaron Finch and ex-India batter Mohammad Kaif were in awe of Rohit Sharma's knock.

“Rohit Sharma has skills, technique and jazba the perfect mix when you are chasing 11 runs per over. One player all formats,” Kaif posted on Twitter.

“Rohit was brilliant. And the two overs Axar bowled was probably the difference in the game. Wade is such a calm customer at the back end of the innings. He did a wonderful job for us. We got close,” Finch said after the match.

With inclement weather reducing the match to an eight-overs a side contest, Australia put a solid total of 90/5 on the board with Aaron Finch and Matthew Wade smashing a 15-ball 31 and an unbeaten 43 off 20 deliveries respectively.

With more than 11 runs to score to achieve the stiff target, India didn't have a very bright start as they lost opener KL Rahul for 10 and premier batter, Virat Kohli, for 11.

While wickets kept on falling from the other end, Rohit Sharma looked like a player from a different planet as he continued to hit boundaries and sixes at will against Australia's bowlers.

In the end, the Mumbai resident finished the game with a scintillating 46 off 20 balls, including four boundaries and an equal number of sixes.

In the process, he broke two massive world records in the format.

The 34-year-old now has the most number of sixes in the T20I format after adding four maximums to his name at Nagpur's Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.

His tally of sixes now stands at 176 – four more than New Zealand's Martin Guptill who has so far smashed 172 sixes in this version of the game.

Moreover, Rohit Sharma also became the first player in history to hit 500 boundaries in T20Is with the help of his heroics against Aaron Finch's men in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, former India batter Ajay Jadeja reckons that Rohit Sharma's timing during the contest in Nagpur was immaculate and that's why he was able to play those big shots.

“I think he timed it pretty well because when you look at that you think it's 20 balls, 46, he must have smashed people. First over, he had two sixes. You know, so he got that big start. Then he paced his innings. When you are a player of quality, what is the difference between, I mean there are great players and good players,” Ajay Jadeja told Cricbuzz.

“There are certain players, who have only one gear right, you know so either they can you know keep going, keep going, keep going and then the great players do this you know, they you look at the road, they slow down get past those ditches, then when it opens up, then you put your foot on the accelerator and then when you need to slow down you can slow down. So you've got to when you have the control of an innings. That is the difference between a good player and a great player, Jadeja summed up.