After a royal duck, followed by a golden duck in the first two games, the focus was squarely on how Rohit Sharma, the batter, would fare in the third and final T20I against Afghanistan in Bengaluru. This was India's last T20 international match before the all-important ICC T20 World Cup in June 2024, and even the inclusion of Rohit - who returned to T20I captaincy with the Afghanistan series after a 14-month gap - in the squad had been a matter of intense debate. (IND Vs AFG 3rd T20I Scorecard | More Cricket News)
But Rohit answered all the skeptics and naysayers in the best way possible - with a blazing bat. India's current all-format skipper rescued the team from a precarious position and raced away to a world record fifth T20I century, that took the hosts to a strong total of 212.
He then returned to bat in the Super Over - necessitated after a thrilling chase by the Afghans, leading to a tie - and scored 24 runs off just seven balls across two innings to help India pull off an utterly dramatic double Super Over win, and register a 3-0 clean sweep in the process.
ALSO READ: How Rinku Helped Rohit Complete Masterpiece
The victory was Rohit's 41st as T20I captain, which took him level with the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni on most wins by an Indian skipper in the format. MS Dhoni had notched up 41 wins in the 76 games he led the team, while Rohit has reached the mark in his 54th match as the captain.
The global list is jointly headed by former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, England's 2019 ODI World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan and ex-Afghanistan cricketer Asghar Afghan. Babar, Morgan and Afghan have 42 wins apiece under their belt.
As Rohit is just one win shy of levelling the trio, he can be expected to achieve the feat during the T20 World Cup, where he will in all likelihood lead the Indian team. Rohit's performance in the Bengaluru thriller clearly shows he's not nearly done with the format. The 36-year-old stylish batter would be raring to help India win their second title at the tournament after Dhoni so evocatively pulled off a maiden triumph in 2007.
