India vs Sri Lanka: Rohit Sharma was eliminated in his 125th T20I match as he defeated Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik for the record player in T20I cricket. The Indian captain is the only man in the country to have played more than 100 T20is.
Rohit Sharma, who made his T20I debut in 2007, has become the record player in the game’s shortest format (AFP Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Rohit Sharma broke Shoaib Malik’s record for most T20is by one player
- Rohit is the only Indian to have played more than 100 T20Is
- Rohit became the all-time top run scorer in T20Is earlier this month
Rohit Sharma has set another all-time record as the Indian captain has become the record-breaking player in T20I cricket. Rohit pulled off the feat as he went to the toss and led India in the 3rd and final T20I of a 3-match series against Sri Lanka in Dharamsala on Sunday.
Rohit Sharma passed Pakistani veteran Shoaib Malik on the elite list by playing his 125th T20i on Sunday. Rohit is the only Indian to have played more than 100 T20Is. MS Dhoni, who retired in 2020, is second on the Indian list with 98 T20is, Virat Kohli is just 3rd with 97 T20Is. Kohli was spotted for the ongoing series against Sri Lanka and the final T20I against the West Indies earlier this month spared.
| S. NO | player | matches |
| 1 | Rohit Sharma (India) | 125 |
| 2 | Shoaib Malik (Pakistan) | 124 |
| 3 | Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan) | 119 |
| 4 | Eoin Morgan (England) | 115 |
| 5 | Mamudullah (Bangladesh) | 113 |
Rohit Sharma made his T20I debut at the 2007 T20 World Championship and made an immediate impact playing a key role in India’s winning campaign under MS Dhoni. Rohit has 3308 runs including 5 hundreds with an average of over 32 in the game’s shortest format.
“One of the greatest white ball players without a doubt. Look at his performance as a hitter and as a captain. Look at how he changed the fate of every team he’s played for. He will definitely go down as one of the greatest white-ball players. At the last World Cup, he hit 5 hundreds. He will go down as one of the greatest white-ball players of all time,” Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports, showering Rohit for his historic milestone on Sunday.
Just last week, Rohit became the leading run-getter in T20I cricket, surpassing New Zealand star Martin Guptill’s tally of 3,299 runs.
On Saturday, Rohit set a new record, to become the most successful captain in T20I cricket in home matches.
Rohit has now led India to 16 wins from 17 home games in the T20I, putting him ahead of England captain Eoin Morgan and New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson. Among the Indian captains, Rohit has three more wins at home than Virat Kohli and five more than MS Dhoni.
Rohit took over from Virat Kohli as India’s full-time T20I captain after last year’s T20 World Championship. He was also made ODI captain after Kohli was released from the role. Rohit also took over as India’s Test captain after Virat Kohli stepped down from that role following India’s 2-1 defeat in South Africa in January.
Rohit will lead India for the first time as a full-time Test captain when they take on Sri Lanka in a 2-Test series in March.
