IND vs AFG: Rohit Sharma On The Verge Of Breaking MS Dhoni's Huge T20I Record As Captain

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma will return to the shortest format of the game after 14 months as he sets to lead the Men In Blue against Afghanistan in the three-match T20I series starting Thursday. It was back in November 2022, during the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 against England when Rohit last played a T20I game. It was a heartbreaking moment for Rohit Sharma as India suffered a massive defeat by 10 wickets in the semi-finals.

Since the T20 World Cup in 2022, the focus has mainly been on the longer formats but with the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 scheduled in June this year, Rohit Sharma is back in the T20I squad alongside India’s batting maestro Virat Kohli. With his return to the shortest format as the captain, Rohit Sharma has a chance to create history and break MS Dhoni’s long-running record.

Rohit Sharma is on the verge of becoming India’s most successful T20I captain in terms of matches won. MS Dhoni currently holds the record with 41 wins from 72 matches. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has led India on 51 occasions in the shortest format with the Men in Blue emerging victorious in 39. If India can whitewash Afghanistan and win all three matches in the series, Rohit will surpass Dhoni in the elite list.

MS Dhoni was the first captain to lead the Indian team in a T20 World Cup. He has led India in six T20 World Cups winning one which was back in the inaugural year of 2007. Rohit Sharma who made his international debut in that World Cup-winning competition has come a long way to lead India in the format. Rohit Sharma has already led India in the last edition of the T20 World Cup where the team reached the semi-finals. Now he is likely to lead India in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Rohit Sharma Has Played In All The T20 World Cups As Of Now

Rohit Sharma is currently the most experienced T20I player with 148 matches under his belt in the shortest format. He has featured in all eight editions of the T20 World Cup as of now and has been one of India’s greatest players in the shortest format with 3853 runs in 140 innings. He is also the first player to smash four centuries in T20Is and boasts a strike rate of 139.25 for India.

Rohit Sharma will be leading the Men in Blue against the Afghans as they face each other in a three-match T20I series. The second T20I in this series will be Rohit’s 150th T20 international appearance for India. He is currently the most capped Men’s player in the format and his experience will come in handy for the Indian team in the upcoming T20 World Cup where he is likely to lead the Indian team.

The first T20I will be played in Mohali and India will be missing the services of Virat Kohli as he has opted out of the first match citing personal reasons. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma have been confirmed as openers whereas Shubman Gill could come at No.3.