Stand-in Indian skipper Rohit Sharma became the first Indian batsman to play 100 T20I innings as soon as he came out to bat on the dismissal of Sanju Samson in the fifth and final T20I on Sunday. Rohit, who won the toss and opted to bat first since Virat Kohli has been rested for this game, clarified at the toss that he would come in to bat at number 3 to accommodate KL Rahul and Sanju Samson at the top.
However, Rohit took the crease in only the second over as Samson failed to capitalise on the opportunity given to him and was dismissed cheaply. The Hitman thus reached the historic landmark of 100 T20I innings. The match also marks Ross Taylor’s 100th T20I outing for New Zealand.
First Indian to 100 T20I innings
The Mumbaikar become the first Indian to achieve the feat. Following him on the list is former Indian captain MS Dhoni who has 85 innings against his name. A glimpse at the overall record suggests Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik is at the very top with 105 innings against his name.
Only Indian to feature in 100 T20Is
Right-handed Indian opener Rohit Sharma is the only Indian to feature in 100 T2OIs. He has in fact played as many as 107 matches. To get to the top of the list, Rohit will have to play 7 more matches and displace Shoaib Malik from the top of that list. Other than Rohit and Shoaib, no other cricketer has played 100 T20Is.
Played his debut innings overseas
Rohit Sharma made his T20I debut as a 20-year-old in South Africa. His debut match was part of the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 against England. However, Rohit did not get to bat in his debut match. In the next match against South Africa, Rohit Sharma made a splendid half-century.