7 records broken by Rohit Sharma during his knock of 131 vs Afghanistan in 2023 World Cup clash
Rohit Sharma led from the front as Team India beat Afghanistan in Delhi on Wednesday, October 11. The Indian skipper scored 131 off 84 balls as the Men in Blue won the game comprehensively by eight wickets with 90 balls to spare.
Afghanistan managed to score 272/8 runs in the first innings after captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss at the Arun Jaitley Stadium earlier today.
Shahidi (80 off 88 balls) and Azmatullah Omarzai (62 off 69) were the standout performers for the Afghans. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah picked up four wickets while just conceding 39 runs in his 10-over quota.
In reply, Rohit Sharma didn't allow the opposition bowlers to settle down, as he looked in touch right from the word go. While batters around him (Ishan Kishan and Virat Kohli) were scoring at around a run a ball, Sharma was batting at a strike rate of 155.
The Indian skipper was eventually dismissed in the 26th over as Rashid Khan bowled him out. His century, which earned him the Player of the Match award, was decorated with 16 boundaries and five maximums. It is his first century of the ongoing World Cup and his 31st century in ODIs.
On that note, let's look at seven records that Rohit Sharma broke during his sensational knock against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup.
#1 Most centuries in World Cup history
Rohit Sharma has now scored seven centuries in ODI World Cups. He scored one in the 2015 edition in Australia, five in the 2019 edition in England, and this is his first ton in the 2023 edition in India.
The record was previously held by fellow Mumbai batter Sachin Tendulkar, who scored six centuries in 44 World Cup innings. Sharma has taken just 19 innings to score seven centuries in the quadrennial tournament.
#2 Most sixes in international cricket
The Indian skipper is known for his six-hitting ability. He struck five sixes against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup, which has taken his overall sixes tally in international cricket to 556. The right-handed batter also has hit the most sixes for India in World Cups with 28, overtaking Tendulkar.
Chris Gayle, who is synonymous with hitting long sixes, previously held the record with 551 maximums under his belt. It is pertinent to note that the Indian opener has overtaken the West Indian, despite batting in 78 fewer innings in international cricket.
#3 Rohit Sharma has the third-most ODI centuries
Rohit Sharma has been a terrific T20 batter and has been solid in red-ball cricket over the last few years. However, he excels when it comes to batting in ODIs. The modern-day ODI great overtook Ricky Ponting by scoring his 31st century in the format.
Tendulkar (49) and Virat Kohli (47) are now the only players who have scored more tons in ODI cricket history than the man who dons jersey number 45 for India.
#4 Fastest century by an Indian in World Cup history
Rohit Sharma took just 63 deliveries to reach the three-figure mark against Afghanistan in Delhi earlier today. This broke a 40-year record that was held by the legendary Indian all-rounder Kapil Dev.
Dev, who lifted India's first-ever World Cup, had scored a century off 72 balls against Zimbabwe in 1983. The current Indian captain bettered the feat by scoring a century in nine fewer balls.
#5 Fastest Indian to 1000 runs in ODI World Cups
En route to his 31st ODI century, Sharma also crossed the 1000-run milestone in ODI World Cups. He now has 1109 runs in 19 WC innings, which means he reached 1000 World Cup runs in five fewer innings than Virat Kohli, who held the record before Rohit.
The only other Indian batter to have crossed 1000 runs for India in World Cup history is Sachin Tendulkar. The former Indian cricketer has scored 2278 runs in 44 innings in ODI World Cups, 535 runs more than any player.
#6 Most runs scored by an Indian in the first powerplay in ODIs
Rohit Sharma started his innings by dispatching the Afghanistan bowlers left, right, and center. He scored 76 runs in the first powerplay of the innings. By doing so, he broke his own record that he had set just a few weeks ago.
The Nagpur-born batter had scored 54 runs in the first powerplay of the innings against Australia in Rajkot on September 27, 2023. Two weeks later, the 36-year-old has rewritten the record books.
#7 Most runs scored by one player out of the first 100 scored by their team in World Cup history
By the time India's run tally reached the three-figure mark against Afghanistan, Rohit Sharma accumulated a whopping 79 runs. This is a World Cup record for the most number of runs scored by an individual out of the first 100 runs scored by their team.
Brendon McCullum was the joint holder of this record previously, as he scored 76 runs out of the first 100 that New Zealand scored against England in the 2015 World Cup. Canada's John Davison had also scored 76 runs out of the first 100 that his side managed in their encounter against the West Indies in 2003.