India vs Afghanistan: Rohit Sharma sets World Cup record with seventh century

NEW DELHI: Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma achieved a significant milestone by becoming the player with the most centuries in World Cup history after delivering a century against Afghanistan on Wednesday.

During the highly-anticipated India vs Afghanistan showdown at Arun Jaitley Stadium, the 36-year-old right-handed batsman dominated the Afghan bowlers, notching up his seventh century in World Cup matches within a mere 19 innings of the prestigious tournament.

In accomplishing this feat, Sharma surpassed his fellow teammate and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who had previously held the record for the most centuries in World Cups, having scored six centuries in 44 World Cup innings.

Additionally, Rohit Sharma now holds the distinction of hitting the most sixes in international cricket overall. He has amassed an impressive total of 555 maximums in just 473 innings, surpassing the legendary West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle, who accumulated 553 sixes in 551 innings.

Read More: Rohit flattens Afghanistan as India romp to second win

The “Hitman” boasts an impressive record of 77 sixes in Test cricket, 296 in one-day internationals (ODIs), and 182 in T20I cricket. Notably, he holds the record for being the fastest batsman to reach 550 sixes in international cricket.

However, in the ODI format, Sharma is currently ranked third in the list of players with the most sixes. Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, with 351 sixes, and Chris Gayle, with 331 sixes, are the only two players who have hit more maximums than the 36-year-old in the 50-over format.

Following his remarkable performance, Sharma commented on the match, stating, “It was a good pitch to bat on. I was confident in playing my natural game.”

It’s worth noting that Afghanistan batted first, setting a target of 273 runs for India. This was achieved with the aid of a 121-run partnership between their captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi, who contributed 80 runs, and Azmatullah Omarzai, who added 62 runs.

During the India vs Afghanistan, Jasprit Bumrah delivered an exceptional performance, emerging as the standout bowler for the home side with a remarkable spell of 4-39 in 10 overs. All-rounder Hardik Pandya was the second-highest wicket-taker, securing two wickets during the match.