IND vs SL, Asia Cup 2022: Rohit Sharma finally looked in his elements with a spellbinding 72 off 41 balls but his efforts went in vain as India lost to Sri Lanka by five wickets in the Asia Cup's Super Four clash on Tuesday (September 6).
Riding on Rohit's stellar knock, which was decorated with five boundaries and four sixes, India posted a competitive total of 173 which was chased down by the Islanders with six wicket to spare.
On way to his 32nd T20I half century, Rohit busted two sensational Asia Cup records which was previously claimed by Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar and former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi respectively.
After losing KL Rahul and Virat Kohli in quick succession, Rohit steered India's innings with full ownership and rallied the team from precarious 13.2 in 2.4 overs to 110/2 before taking the longest walk to the pavilion.
With two of his four sixes during the knock, Rohit leapfrogged Afridi to record the most number of sixes in Asia Cup history. Rohit now stands atop with 29 maximums in 31 Asia Cup appearances, three more than previous-record holder Afridi. The next best by an Indian on the list is veteran cricketer Suresh Raina, who on Tuesday announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, with 18 sixes.
Rohit became the first Indian batter to hit 1000 runs in Asia Cup history.
En route to his fifty, Rohit also became the highest-scoring Indian cricketer in Asia Cup history, as he surpassed the legendary Sachin (970 runs). At the end of his fiery knock, Rohit also became the first India batter to score 1000 runs in Asia Cup and third overall, as his present tally stands at 1016 runs in 30 innings, standing only behind Sri Lanka greats Sanath Jayasuriya (1220 runs) and Kumar Sangakkara (1075 runs).
Rohit also went at par with Sachin on another elusive Asia Cup list. The 72-run knock was his ninth fifty-plus score in Asia Cup history, which places him alongside Sachin in the second spot after Sangakkara's tally of 12 such scores.
The result left India at the mercy of the other teams to have a chance of making it to the final. It also meant that India skipper Rohit Sharma's scintillating 41-ball 72 went in vain, as the islanders completed a chase of 174 with a ball to spare.
Needing 21 in 12 balls, Sri Lanka scored 14 runs off the penultimate over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, almost sealing it in their favour. India will be out of the tournament if Pakistan beat Afghanistan on Wednesday.
