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Rohit Sharma silenced his critics in style with a record-breaking century in the third T20I against Afghanistan in Bengaluru on January 17. Rohit Sharma struck a phenomenal 121 off 69 to help India post a total of 212/4. Rohit scripted history by becoming the batter with most T20I centuries i.e five.
But it didn't come easy for the India skipper as his recent stint in T20Is was marked with back-to-back blip. Despite leading the team to a series victory over Afghanistan, his personal performance in the first two matches at Mohali and Indore was disappointing, with ducks in both games. In Mohali, his innings ended in misfortune, while in Indore, he was dismissed on the first ball he faced. As the series moved to Bengaluru for the final T20I, the spotlight was firmly on Rohit, especially after he chose to bat first for the third consecutive time, breaking away from the initial strategy of bowling.
Rohit found himself at the crease on the second very ball after Yashasvi Jaiswal scored three runs off the first ball. He attempted to make an impact with Fareed Ahmed's delivery, aiming it towards the third-man boundary. However, the umpire, Virender Sharma, ruled the runs as leg-byes, which added to India's total but left Rohit's individual score unchanged.
Rohit Sharma's individual score stayed at zero even after another four was scored off leg-byes in the same over. It was only in the second over when Rohit was back at the crease that he realized the leg bye ruling. He humorously expressed his surprise to umpire Virender Sharma, playfully inquiring about the signal for a thigh-pad touch on the first four.
"Arey viru, thigh-pad diya kya pehla four? Bat laga tha! (Hey Viru, did you signal for the thigh pad on the first four? I hit that with my bat!)" The commentators couldn't help but share a laugh, and even umpire Virender Sharma acknowledged the mix-up, apologizing to Rohit.
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Rohit finally got off the mark in the second over, scoring his first runs in T20Is since making his comeback to the format last week, following a hiatus of over 14 months. Despite his efforts, India had a rough beginning to their innings, losing four early wickets, including a duck from Virat Kohli, all within the powerplay. But Rohit was in no mood to spare Afghanistan's bowlers as he went on to score a splendid century in Bengaluru. It was Rohit's fifth century in the shortest format of the game as he left behind Suryakumar Yadav and Glenn Maxwell, who have clocked four T20I ton against their names. The Hitman took just 64 balls to bring his century and 41 balls to notch his fifty. It was Rohit's knock which powered India to a big total of 212/4.
Players with most T20I centuries:
1) Rohit Sharma (India) - 5
2) Suryakumar Yadav (India) - 4
3) Glenn Maxwell (Australia) - 4
4) Sabawoon Davizi (Czech Republic)- 3
5) Colin Munro (New Zealand) - 3
Rohit's innings included a flurry of 11 fours and eight sixes. His previous century in this format was against the West Indies in 2018, where he notched an unbeaten 111 at Lucknow.
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