Rajkot, Feb 15 (IANS) India skipper Rohit Sharma on Thursday surpassed Mahendra Singh Dhoni's tally of the second most sixes by an Indian batter in Test cricket during the opening day of the third Test against England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Thursday.

Rohit overtook Dhoni's tally of 78 maximums in Test cricket by hitting the second six of the innings, bringing his total to 79 sixes. With 91 sixes to his name, former opener Virender Sehwag holds the record for most sixes in Tests by an Indian.

Rohit showcased his sublime batting prowess, spectacularly notching his 11th Test century. With an impressive innings comprising 11 boundaries and two towering sixes, his century came off just 157 deliveries.

Rohit's innings was particularly commendable as he stood firm after India suffered early setbacks, losing key wickets in the first hour of play.

The dismissals of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rajat Patidar threatened to derail India's innings, but Rohit's resilient knock provided stability and momentum to the team.

Rahit along with Ravindra Jadeja, who scored his 21st half-century stitched a 204 run partnership for the fourth wicket, before the skipper fell victim to Mark Wood after scoring 131 off 196.

At the time of writing, India are 259/4 with Ravindra Jadeja batting at 90 and debutant Sarfaraz Khan at 17.