New Delhi:
Rohit Sharma achieved a very special century during the Rajkot Twenty20 International between India and Bangladesh at the Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium on Thursday. When he won the toss and chose to field against Bangladesh, Rohit created history by breaking MS Dhoni's record and becoming the first Indian player to play 100 Twenty20 Internationals. Overall, he is the second player after Pakistan's Shoaib Malik to play over 100 T20Is, with Malik having played 111 matches for Pakistan in his career. This new milestone adds yet another feather to Rohit's already record-breaking run in the format.
Rohit is the leading six-hitter in Twenty20 Internationals, smashing 109 in 100 games. He is the only player to have hit four centuries in this format, having smashed 118 against Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017. During the Delhi match against Bangladesh, Rohit overtook Virat Kohli and became the leading run-getter in this format, surpassing Kohli's tally of 2450 runs. The current India cricket team skipper is one of the select few to average over 30 and have a strike-rate close to 140.
Following the Delhi loss, Rohit cited poor fielding and lack of judgement while going for the Decision Review System (DRS) calls which cost India the first T20 International against Bangladesh. Mushfiqur Rahim guided Bangladesh to their first ever T20 victory against India with an unbeaten 60 where a butter-fingered Krunal Pandya and an indecisive Rishabh Pant let the team down despite a par-score on a tricky Feroz Shah Kotla surface.
"It was a defendable score, and we made mistakes on the field. The guys are a bit inexperienced, and they can learn from that, perhaps not make them the next time. The reviews (DRS) were a mistake from our side," Rohit admitted during post-match presentation ceremony. However, Rohit gave credit to Bangladesh for winning it in a convincing manner. "Not to take credit away from Bangladesh. They put us under pressure right from the start when we were batting."
Also Read | Poor Fielding, Lack Of Judgement Cost India: Rohit After Shock Defeat Against Bangladesh
It has been a remarkable journey for Rohit in Twenty20 Internationals ever since he made his debut for India during the 2007 World T20 in South Africa. His contributions in the series helped India win the 2007 World T20 for the first time and since then, he has gone from strength to strength.
