Hashmatullah Shahidi etched his name into the record books by becoming the very first Afghanistan captain to score an international century against India across any format. Battling both a potent Indian bowling attack and Chennai's intense, sweltering heat, the 31-year-old left-hander dug deep at the MA Chidambaram Stadium to bring up his maiden ODI ton, finishing with a resilient 102 off 131 balls. The gritty knock took a physical toll on the skipper, who had to be treated by the team physio for severe cramps late in the innings before continuing his historic charge.
ALSO READ: 'Makes zero sense': Gautam Gambhir lambasted for resting KL Rahul in IND vs AFG 3rd ODI
Hashmat Shahidi becomes 1st-ever Afghanistan to hit century against India
Prior to this milestone, reaching a half-century was the highest benchmark set by an Afghan leader against India. Shahidi himself had achieved that with an 80-run knock during the 2023 ODI World Cup in Delhi, while Ibrahim Zadran became the second captain to do so with a T20I fifty in January 2024. However, a triple-figure score by a captain against the Men in Blue had remained elusive until Shahidi's masterclass in Chennai.
The century was a long time coming for the veteran batsman, who has been a pillar of Afghanistan cricket since making his format debut in 2013 against Kenya in Sharjah. It took Shahidi 94 innings to finally celebrate his first ODI hundred, setting a new national record for the most innings played before scoring a maiden century—surpassing the previous record of 67 innings held by Asghar Afghan.
On a global scale, Shahidi's journey to a century highlights his immense longevity and patience. Spanning 4,644 days from his debut to this match, his wait stands as the fourth-longest duration in cricket history for any batsman to reach their first ODI ton. The overall world record remains with Zimbabwe's Regis Chakabva, who famously required 5,040 days to hit his first century in the format.
Cricketer who took most days from ODI debut to maiden century:
5040 Days: Zimbabwe's Regis Chakabva (2008-22)
4858 Days: India's Sunil Gavaskar (1974-87)
4674 Days: Sri Lanka's Arjuna Ranatunga (1982-94)
4644 Days: Afghanistan's Hashmatullah Shahidi (2013-26)
4639 Days: England's Nasser Hussain (1989-03)