On a captivating Wednesday evening at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma unleashed a masterclass in T20I cricket, leading his team to an imposing total of 212/4 against a bewildered Afghanistan side. The match, part of the ongoing third T20I, saw records tumble and the crowd rise to its feet as Sharma delivered one of his finest innings to date.
After being asked to bat first, India’s top order crumbled, and the scoreboard read a dismal 22 runs for the loss of four key wickets. However, the match witnessed an incredible turnaround, courtesy of an unbreakable partnership between Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh. Initially hampered by Afghanistan’s bowlers and a challenging pitch, the duo found themselves restricted to just 61 runs at the halfway mark. But what followed was sheer dominance.
Rohit and Rinku steadily changed gears as they got accustomed to the surface and timings. The Afghan bowlers, who had appeared in control, could only watch in disbelief as the batsmen shifted the momentum. The carnage reached its peak in the final two overs, where a staggering 58 runs were hammered, including an over from Karim Janat that leaped into the annals of T20 history as 36 runs were plundered from it.
The explosive partnership yielded 190* runs for the fifth wicket, a testament to a remarkable recovery and a significant record for India in T20Is. This also stood out as the highest fifth-wicket stand ever recorded in the format. Rohit Sharma’s breathtaking innings saw him remain not out at 121 from 69 balls, a knock embellished with shots all around the wicket. Rinku Singh, on the other end, played a vital inning scoring an undefeated 69 off 39 balls, providing the perfect foil to his captain.
Sharma, with his performance, not only cemented his place but also made his way into the record books. After scoring his 43rd run in the match, Rohit Sharma became India’s leading run-scorer as captain in T20Is. The crescendo of his splendid knock was his fifth T20I century, which propelled him past the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, who were tied with four centuries each, making him the first-ever cricketer to achieve this extraordinary feat.
While Sharma’s hundred stole the spotlight, it was a game of contrasting tales for some. Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli was dismissed for a golden duck, an unwanted record, even as it saw him surpass another legend, Sachin Tendulkar, in an unflattering statistic list.
The Indian playing eleven comprised a mix of experienced campaigners and young blood, with Yashasvi Jaiswal opening alongside Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson as wicketkeeper, forming the middle order alongside Rinku Singh. Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Avesh Khan completed the lineup, presenting a formidable challenge to the visitors.
Afghanistan, led by Ibrahim Zadran, fielded a balanced side with the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, and Najibullah Zadran. The bowling attack featured Karim Janat, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Qais Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem Safi, and Fareed Ahmad Malik, who faced the daunting task of containing the Indian onslaught.
The match left fans and cricket pundits awestruck, as Rohit Sharma’s extraordinary hundred wrote a new chapter in T20I history, adding yet another milestone to his illustrious career. The performance of the Indian team, especially in the latter part of their innings, has set the stage for an enthralling contest and poses a stern challenge for Afghanistan as they step onto the pitch with a mammoth target ahead of them.
