5 records that were broken during India's nail-biting super-over win vs Afghanistan
The crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru was in for a delight as Team India thumped Afghanistan in a thrilling third T20I on Wednesday.
The nail-biting game saw not one but two Super Overs as both teams hammered 212 in their allotted 20 overs. It all began when Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bat first.
At first, India stared down the barrel as they found themselves at 22/4 after 4.3 overs. Rohit, however, kept his wicket intact and stitched up a splendid unbeaten partnership with Rinku Singh.
The two batted masterfully and got India over the 200-run mark. While Rinku smoked an unbeaten 69, Rohit went on to score his fifth T20I hundred. He smashed 121* runs with the help of 11 fours and eight maximums.
Chasing 213, the visitors started brilliantly with both openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, scoring 50 runs each. Washington Sundar bowled an inspired spell of 3/18 in the middle overs to claw India back into the game.
The hosts looked comfortable at one point, with Afghanistan needing 46 in the last three overs. Gulbadin Naib, however, stood at the crease till the end and played a blinder of an innings. He mustered 55* runs off only 23 deliveries, taking Afghanistan to 212. The match went into a Super Over, where Afghanistan scored 16 runs.
Despite Rohit plundering two sixes off Azmatullah Omarzai, India didn't touch the 17-run mark, and the encounter moved to a second Super Over. This time, India batted first, and Rohit scored 11 runs. However, India lost two wickets as Afghanistan needed 12 runs to win the tie.
Ravi Bishnoi bowled the second Super Over and the leg-spinner completely wreaked havoc. He dismissed both Mohammad Nabi and Gurbaz in three balls as India finally won the match and clean sweep the series 3-0.
With all the thrills and drama, it was indeed a game to remember. The high-scoring affair also witnessed the making of some striking records and milestones.
On that note, here is a compilation of five of those big records that were broken in the recently concluded third T20I between India and Afghanistan.
[Stat credit: @kaustats]
#5 First time two T20I centuries in two different T20I games on a same day
Witnessing a century in a T20I is less often than in an ODI or a Test match. However, on Wednesday, the fans enjoyed something rare.
With several T20I bilateral series taking place concurrently, there were two centuries scored on the same day - January 17. While Rohit amassed 121* against Afghanistan, New Zealand's Finn Allen hammered 137 in the fourth T20I against Pakistan in Dunedin.
This was the first-ever instance of two players scoring T20I centuries in two different games on the same day.
#4 Mohammad Nabi is the first Afghani to hit 100 T20I sixes
Mohammad Nabi has been the heart of Afghanistan cricket ever since making his debut in 2009. The premier all-rounder has represented his nation 115 times in T20Is, the most by any Afghan player.
On Wednesday, he played a handy cameo of 34 at a strike rate of 212.5. He collected two fours and three sixes during his innings, which made him reach the mark of 100 sixes in T20 internationals.
Nabi now has 101 sixes and 136 fours after 107 T20I innings. He is the first-ever Afghanistan player to hit 100 T20I sixes.
#3 Most runs in last two overs of a T20 innings
After stabilizing the Indian innings in the middle overs, Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh took the Afgan players to the cleaners at the death. Afghanistan's last two overs were extremely expensive, as both batters finished the innings on a high.
The 19th over was bowled by Azmatullah Omarzai, who leaked only 11 runs in his first three overs. However, Rohit hit him for a six and a four before raising his bat for a stupendous century. Rinku ended the over with a six as India accumulated 22 runs from the over.
Something worse was in store for the visitors when Karim Janat went on to bowl the ultimate over. Rohit plummeted 18 runs from the first three balls, which included a no-ball as well. Rinku faced the last three deliveries and skillfully dispatched all of them over the ropes to garner 36 runs from the over.
In total, India gathered 58 runs from the last 12 legal balls of their innings. This is not only the most runs in the last two overs of a T20I innings, but it is the best in all T20s. Rohit and Rinku broke Nepal's record, who scored 54 runs in the last two overs of their Asian Games 2023 fixture against Mongolia.
#2 Oldest Indian to hit a T20I century
With his latest T20I hundred, Rohit Sharma has now become the oldest Indian cricketer to hit a century in the format.
At 37 years and 262 days old, Rohit smoked his fifth T20I ton. He surpassed Virat Kohli's record to become the oldest Indian to hit a T20I ton. Kohli was 33 years and 307 days old when he smashed his maiden T20I hundred (122*), which also came against Afghanistan back in 2022.
Overall, Rohit is now the sixth-oldest in all T20I history. Gibraltar's Avinash Pai holds the record for being the oldest player to hit a T20I ton, having scored a century (107*) when he was 39 years and 272 days old against Bulgaria in 2021.
Rohit's 121* on Wednesday is now also the highest individual score by a player in a tied T20I game. Brendon McCullum's 116* against Australia in 2010 was the previous best.
#1 Highest T20I partnership for any wicket for India
Rohit and Rinku brought the roof down with their explosive knocks and a superb partnership of 190* runs off only 93 balls. From a precarious situation at 22/4, the duo dug India out and changed the game on its head.
When the duo touched the 114-run mark in their partnership, they eclipsed the record of piling the highest stand for the fifth wicket for India. After 32 more runs, it became the best fifth-wicket partnership in the entire men's T20I history.
By the time the Indian innings finished, Rohit and Rinku's impeccable stand of 190 runs became the best partnership by an Indian duo for any wicket in T20I history. The two surpassed Sanju Samson and Deepak Hooda, who both added 176 runs for the second wicket against Ireland in 2022.