Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (Source: AFP)
Rohit Sharma created a major milestone during the ongoing third and final ODI against Afghanistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, June 20.
Chasing a target of 219 runs, Rohit led from the front with a brilliant half-century and surpassed two Indian legends, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, in a remarkable ODI record.
After restricting Afghanistan to 218, the Indian openers Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal made a strong start to the chase and put the visitors under immediate pressure.
Rohit Sharma And Yashasvi Jaiswal Start India's Innings On A High Note
India's chase got off to an excellent start thanks to Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal. The opening pair played attacking cricket from the beginning and quickly took control of the run chase.
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Rohit, who was given a couple of early lifelines by Afghanistan’s fielders, made full use of the opportunities and punished the bowlers.
The duo built a solid partnership off 170 runs (139 balls) that put India firmly in command.
Rohit Sharma Surpasses Rahul Dravid’s Massive Record
During his impressive knock, Rohit Sharma reached another major milestone in ODI cricket. The former Indian captain registered his 95th fifty or more in ODIs, moving past Rahul Dravid’s tally of 94 and Sourav Ganguly's 93.
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With this achievement, Rohit has moved into third place among Indian batters and now trails only Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.
Most 50+ Scores for India in ODIs:
- 145 – Sachin Tendulkar
- 131 – Virat Kohli
- 95 – Rohit Sharma*
- 94 – Rahul Dravid
- 93 – Sourav Ganguly
At 39 years and 51 days, Rohit also became the oldest Indian player to score a 50-plus knock in ODI cricket.
He surpassed Mohinder Amarnath, who held the previous record after scoring a fifty against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of 39 years and 21 days.
Oldest Player to Score 50+ Runs in ODIs for India:
- 39y 51d - Rohit Sharma vs Afghanistan, Chennai, 2026, Today*
- 39y 21d - Mohinder Amarnath vs Pakistan, Sharjah, 1989
- 38y 329d - Sachin Tendulkar vs Pakistan, Mirpur, 2012
- 38y 248d - Rahul Dravid vs England, Cardiff, 2011
- 38y 113d - Sunil Gavaskar vs New Zealand, Nagpur, 1987
- 38y 2d - MS Dhoni vs New Zealand, Manchester, 2019
Rohit Sharma and Prasidh Krishna Create Rare ODI History
Earlier in the match, Rohit Sharma was equally active in the field. Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna ripped through Afghanistan’s top order, and Rohit safely completed the catches for the first three wickets of the innings.
The Rohit-Prasidh combination became only the fourth bowler-fielder pair in ODI history to account for the first three wickets of an innings
Hashmatullah Shahidi Guides Afghanistan
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi showed tremendous determination and led his team's fightback with a superb century. He scored 102 runs, registering the first ODI hundred of his career, while Azmatullah Omarzai contributed an important half-century with 50 runs.
The pair helped Afghanistan recover from a disastrous start and pushed the total to 218 before the innings ended in 44.2 overs.
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