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The India National Cricket Team is up against the Afghanistan National Cricket Team in the 1st ODI of the three-match ODI series at the HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala. On the day Rohit Sharma, who has been a mainstay for the India team over the years, made a record on Saturday after featuring in the match against the Afghans.
Rohit Sharma's long-standing record as the oldest Indian to feature in ODI cricket, surpassing the former India World Cup winner Mohinder Amarnath, who last represented India in ODIs at 39 years, while the former has now taken the field at 39 years on Saturday. This is a historic milestone for the opening batter.
Rohit Sharma adds new milestone to beside his name
Mohinder Amarnath was 39 years and 36 days old when he played his final One-Day International against the West Indies on October 30, 1989, at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. On June 13, 2026, Rohit walked out against Afghanistan at the age of 39 years and 44 days, adding another accolade to his long career as a cricketer.
Rohit now leads India's list, but he is still a long way from breaking the overall ODI age record. That honour goes to former Netherlands batter Nolan Clarke, who established a standard that has remained unmatched for three decades. Clarke was 47 years and 257 days old when he played for the Netherlands against South Africa in Rawalpindi on March 5, 1996.
Rohit looked rusty in nets
Rohit Sharma has been declared fit despite struggling with a hamstring injury during the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. He joined the CoE and did his rehab before passing the tests and joining the Men in Blue side for the ongoing series. The former India captain was seen having a long discussion with India's strength and conditioning coach, Adrian Le Roux, on Thursday.
The 39-year-old opener looked decent in the nets at the start before getting into his groove. This is a crucial match for the opener, as he had a poor series against New Zealand in the earlier stages this year, but had a fantastic series against Australia and South Africa last year, as he was the Player of the Series in Australia.
Rohit Sharma on edge to achieve new milestones
Rohit is back on the Men in Blue side after six months. This is a preparatory series before India travels to England for another three-match ODI series. The Men in Blue will play around 25 ODIs before setting off for the 2027 ODI World Cup, which is set to begin on October 4 in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Rohit Sharma is only six runs away from becoming the first Indian opener to score 16,000 international runs. He will surpass the great Sachin Tendulkar, and he is just one century away from achieving the milestone of most centuries as an opener for India. He is currently tied with Sachin with 45 centuries.
India vs Afghanistan Playing XIs
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Saleem Safi, AM Ghazanfar, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi
India (Playing XI): Shubman Gill(c), Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
