India's skipper Rohit Sharma delivered a remarkable innings, scoring his fifth T20I hundred to salvage India's position in Bengaluru on January 17, Wednesday. With this achievement, Rohit becomes the sole batsman to record five centuries in the shortest format of the game, surpassing Suryakumar Yadav and Australia's Glenn Maxwell, both with four to their names.
Entering the match after two consecutive ducks, Rohit aimed to set an early pace but faced an unfortunate moment when his leg glance was called leg-byes by umpire Virender Sharma. Despite a lighthearted banter with the umpire, the Afghan bowlers quickly disrupted India's top order.
Following a steady start, India found themselves in a precarious situation in the third over, with both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli dismissed in consecutive deliveries. Kohli's departure on a golden duck disappointed the Bengaluru crowd. Shivam Dube, who had scored fifties in the first two matches, was dismissed for one, and Sanju Samson also failed to make an impact, departing for a duck.
Rinku Singh joined the Indian skipper in the middle, and together they forged a solid partnership that ultimately saved India. The duo accumulated 61 runs in the first 10 overs before accelerating. Rohit aggressively took on the bowlers, finding boundaries with ease.
Rohit reached his hundred in just 64 deliveries, featuring 10 boundaries and 6 sixes. The skipper concluded the innings unbeaten with 121 runs off 69 balls, marking the fourth-highest score by an Indian in T20Is.
For Rohit, this innings represented a redemption of sorts at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where his previous record had been less favorable. India finished the innings with a formidable total of 212 runs.
