India captain Rohit Sharma sets extraordinary record in World Cup match against Afghanistan

Sharma’s feat marks second Tendulkar record broken during the match against Afghanistan

India’s captain Rohit Sharma celebrates after scoring a century during the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup one-day international (ODI) match between India and Afghanistan (AFP via Getty Images)

India captain Rohit Sharma has surpassed Sachin Tendulkar in most centuries scored in a cricket world cup.

The batter claimed the record during India’s eight-wicket victory over Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday amid the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 tournament.

Sharma scored 131 runs in 84 balls for India in the team’s successful chase of 273 against Afghanistan. The latest knock was a record-breaking outing for Sharma that marked his seventh century in a cricket world cup – one more than Tendulkar. He also beat Chris Gayle’s record of most sixes in international cricket.

The Indian captain was crowned the Player of the Match for his achievements.

Sharma’s feat also marked the second record that belonged to Tendulkar that was broken during the match. Virat Kohli became the all-time top scorer in ICC World Cups after passing Tendulkar’s tally of 2,278 runs.

The Indian skipper’s feat can also be said to be a tad more special than Tendulkar’s as he notched up his seven centuries in just three world cup editions compared to the legendary cricketer claiming the earlier six-century record in six editions of the marquee tournament.

With five centuries each, Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara and former Australia captain Ricky Ponting are next on the list of most centuries scored in the Cricket World Cup.

The dismissal of Sharma’s teammate Ishan Kishan got the loudest cheers from Indian fans as it marked the arrival of Virat Kohli on the pitch (AP)

Sharma, on the way to 131 runs during India’s second innings against their neighbours, also went past Ponting in the tally of most centuries scored in One-Day Internationals (ODIs). He now has 31 ODI hundreds to his name, one more than Ponting, who is Australia’s leading run-getter in the 50-over format with 13,589 runs.

Only Tendulkar and Kohli have more ODI centuries than Sharma – 49 and 47 respectively.

While Sharma on Wednesday remained in the limelight at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Ishan Kishan’s dismissal in the 19th over led to an eruption of cheers from Indian fans as it marked Kohli’s arrival on the field in his home ground Delhi.

The star batsman and ex-captain scored his second half-century in the World Cup by remaining unbeaten on 55 off 56 balls against Afghanistan as India sealed the game with 15 overs to spare.

India’s next match in the World Cup 2023 is against Pakistan and will be the most-awaited fixture of this tournament. The rivals will come face to face on Saturday at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.