In a thrilling clash at the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, Team India secured their second consecutive victory by defeating Afghanistan in Delhi. The Men in Blue successfully chased down a target of 273 runs, with Indian captain Rohit Sharma emerging as the star of the match with a record-breaking performance. Alongside him, star batter Virat Kohli also played a pivotal role in the team’s victory.
Rohit Sharma’s record-breaking century
Rohit, leading from the front, played a blistering inning and shattered numerous records along the way. The highlight of the match was Rohit’s exceptional century, his seventh in World Cup history. He reached this milestone in just 63 balls, making it the fastest century by an Indian in World Cup history. With this remarkable achievement, Rohit surpassed the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who held the previous record with six World Cup centuries.
Before this match, Rohit was tied with the Master Blaster with six World Cup centuries, having notched his first in 2015 and five more in the 2019 edition. During his innings, Rohit also set the record for the highest individual score in a successful World Cup chase for India, surpassing Tendulkar’s 127* against Kenya in the 1996 World Cup.
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Other records tumbled by Rohit Sharma
The Indian captain’s sensational knock led to several other records falling by the wayside:
- Most World Cup Hundreds: Rohit Sharma now holds the record for the most centuries in World Cup history, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s six centuries.
- Fastest World Cup Hundred by an Indian: Rohit’s century off 63 balls set a new record as the fastest century by an Indian in the World Cup, breaking Kapil Dev’s record of a 72-ball ton in the 1983 World Cup.
- Most Sixes in International Cricket: Rohit surpassed West Indies legend Chris Gayle’s record of 553 sixes in international cricket by hitting his 554th maximum during the game against Afghanistan.
- Fastest Indian to 1,000 World Cup Runs: Rohit also became the fastest Indian batsman to reach 1,000 runs in the World Cup, achieving this feat in just 19 innings, equaling Australia’s David Warner. The duo now holds the top spot on this list.
- Most World Cup Hundreds in Successful Chases: Rohit’s century against Afghanistan marked his third hundred in World Cup chases, making him the first player to achieve this feat. Gordon Greenidge, Ramiz Raja, and Stephen Fleming follow him with two World Cup tons each.
- Most World Cup Sixes by an Indian: Rohit’s five sixes in the game took his World Cup tally to 28, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s 27 maximums.
- Most Centuries in ODIs: Rohit Sharma also became the third-highest century-maker in ODI cricket with his 31st hundred, overtaking Ricky Ponting’s record of 30 centuries.
- Most Hundreds as an Opener in ODIs: Rohit now has the second-most centuries (29) as an opener in ODIs, surpassing Sanath Jayasuriya. Sachin Tendulkar leads the list with 45 centuries.
- Highest Score by an Indian in ODI Powerplay: Rohit’s 76 runs in the first PowerPlay set a new record for the most runs scored by an Indian batsman in an ODI inning, surpassing the previous best of 70 runs by Robin Uthappa against West Indies in 2007.
- Oldest Captain to Score a World Cup Hundred: At the age of 36 years and 164 days, Rohit Sharma became the oldest captain to score a century in a World Cup match.
