Ranking Rohit Sharma's 5 hundreds in T20Is
Team India captain Rohit Sharma created history on Wednesday by becoming the first batter to notch up five hundreds in the T20I format. He scored an unbeaten 121 off 69 balls, an innings laced with 11 fours and eight sixes as the Men in Blue won the third T20I against Afghanistan in Bengaluru to clean sweep the series 3-0.
Batting first after winning the toss, the hosts put up 212/4 on the board as Rohit hit a brilliant ton, while Rinku Singh also contributed a brilliant 69* off 39 balls. In response, a spirited Afghanistan came up with an excellent batting performance to tie the match. Gulbadin Naib (55* off 23), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (50 off 32), and Ibrahim Zadran (50 off 41) starred for the visitors in the chase.
Rohit, however, struck some important boundaries in the two Super Overs that were played before Ravi Bishnoi held his nerve to confirm victory for India in the second Super Over. The Indian captain now holds the record for most T20I tons, with Suryakumar Yadav and Glenn Maxwell joint-second on the list with four hundreds each.
In the wake of Rohit’s record-breaking knock in Bengaluru, we rank all of his five T20I tons.
#5 (111* off 61) vs West Indies in Lucknow, November 2018
Rohit hammered an unbeaten 111 off only 61 balls in Lucknow in the second T20I of the three-match series against West Indies in November 2018. The visitors won the toss and elected to field first, but had to rue the decision as the ‘Hitman’ was in supreme striking form.
The right-handed batter slammed eight fours and seven sixes as the Men in Blue put up 195/2 on the board in their 20 overs. The bowlers then shone as West Indies were restricted to 124/9. India thus clinched a thumping 71-run win.
Rohit’s knock in Lucknow ranks fifth it came against a relatively weak West Indies bowling attack comprising the likes of Oshane Thomas, Keemo Paul, and Khary Pierre. Also, Team India were batting first, so there was no pressure to chase.
#4 (118 off 43) vs Sri Lanka in Indore, December 2017
Rohit clobbered 118 off only 43 balls in Indore against Sri Lanka in December 2017 in the second T20I of the three-match series.
Again, the opposition won the toss and invited the Men in Blue to bat first. The Indian opener gladly took the opportunity and played a rollicking knock.
Rohit struck 12 fours and 10 sixes in his innings, which came at an excellent strike rate of 274.41. He reached three figures in 35 balls, the joint-second fastest in Men’s T20I history.
India ended up putting 260/5 on the board and then held the Lankans to 172. The knock ranks fourth in the list because it again came against a relatively weak bowling line-up, albeit one which had slightly more variety than West Indies’.
#3 (106 off 66) vs South Africa in Dharamsala, October 2015
Rohit hit another terrific ton against South Africa in Dharamsala in October 2015 in the first T20I of a three-match series.
Once again, the bowling side was put under pressure after sending the opposition in. The seasoned Indian batter smacked 106 off 66 balls, a knock which featured 12 fours and five sixes.
The Men in Blue ended up posting 199/5 on the board, with Rohit shining against a reasonably strong Proteas bowling line-up featuring Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir.
His knock, though, went in vain as South Africa chased down 200 in 19.4 overs courtesy of Jean-Paul Duminy’s 68* off 34.
#2 (121* off 69) vs Afghanistan in Bengaluru, January 2024
Rohit’s record-breaking ton features at No. 2 on the list. It can be argued that the hundred came against Afghanistan, who are still not considered among the top sides in international cricket.
However, they are no pushovers in the limited-overs formats as they showed in the ODI World Cup and in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
After India won the toss and batted first, they crumbed to 22/4. Under extreme pressure, Rohit held his nerve and compiled a magnificent counter-attacking hundreds. It must also be remembered that the Indian captain came into the game with his place under the scanner after two ducks.
Given the circumstances, the ‘Hitman’ came up with an extraordinary effort to lift India to 212/4. Rohit was not done yet though. After slamming a memorable century, he came out and hit crucial boundaries in both the Super Overs to aid India’s cause.
#1 (100* off 56) vs England in Bristol, July 2018
Rohit’s spectacular effort in Bengaluru is only topped by his ton against England in Bristol in July 2018. In the third T20I of the three-match series, the star Indian batter struck an unbeaten 100 off 56 balls to guide the Men in Blue to victory.
There were a couple of things that stood out about the knock. Firstly, it was the decider of the series and, secondly, the innings came in a challenging chase. India won the toss and decided to field first in the must-win game. Led by Jason Roy’s 31-ball 67, the hosts put up a competitive 198/9 on the board.
Rohit, however, led Team India’s charge with a fantastic hundred. He took to the England bowlers and put them on the back foot, clubbing 11 fours and five sixes in his whirlwind knock.
The opener and Virat Kohli (43 off 29) added 89 for the third wicket as the Men in Blue cruised home to a famous series win, clinching the game by seven wickets with eight balls in hand.