As Rohit Sharma’s bat unleashed a downpour of runs within the confines of the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, a deluge of records followed, much like the raindrops during India’s clash with Afghanistan on Saturday.
Rohit Sharma, showcasing his batting prowess and tapping into his prime form, not only amassed a century but also etched his name in history as the player with the most centuries in the annals of the World Cup, amassing a total of 7 tons. This remarkable achievement surpassed the iconic cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who had notched up six World Cup centuries during his illustrious career.
He also became the Indian to score the fastest century in the World Cup surpassing former captain Kapil Dev’s 72-ball ton against Zimbabwe in 1983 breaking a record that stood for almost 40 years. Rohit’s century came while chasing a target in the World Cup is also the most hundreds (3) in successful World Cup chases. His 133 was the highest score by an Indian during a World Cup chase.
The victory against Afghanistan was India’s 7th successful chase of 250 or more in the World Cup, no other team has managed to do more than 5. Rohit’s glorious knock consisted of five sixes which took his tally of international sixes to 556 which is the most by any player. Former West Indies player, Chris Gayle held the record with 553 sixes, but Rohit overtook him to seal his position at the summit of the rare record.
He also tied the record of Australian opener David Warner to become the joint-fastest 1,000-run scorer in the World Cup, achieving the feat in just 19 innings.Coming to the match, Afghanistan’s star-studded spin squadron failed to test the Indian batters as Rohit smashed them for boundaries all over the field.
While chasing a target of 273, India got off to a flying start with the opening duo of Rohit and Ishan Kishan taking the fight to the Afghanistan bowlers. India seemed to have adopted a T20I approach after adopting a careful approach for the initial overs. After the Indian captain struck a boundary in Fazalhaq Farooqi’s over, there was no looking back.
Rashid took the wickets of both openers Ishan Kishan and Rohit, but it wasn’t enough as India went on to claim an 8-wicket victory at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
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