For those who witnessed the legend of Sachin Tendulkar unfold in front of their eyes, Wednesday night may have been odd. Can you ever imagine someone besting the great Tendulkar? Well, that is what happened in front of all present at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday, 11 October.
Tendulkar has finally been left behind in one of the many records he held till date!
Before India’s clash against Afghanistan in the World Cup, the Master Blaster was on level terms with Rohit Sharma in terms of hundreds in the showpiece event with both having scored six each. The Indian skipper, on Wednesday night, went one better in grand style. Sharma’s effort left everyone shell shocked, especially the Afghanistan team who did not know what hit them, rather who hit them.
New Delhi: India's captain Rohit Sharma celebrates his century during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 match between India and Afghanistan, at Arun Jaitley Stadium, in New Delhi, on Wednesday, 11 October.
(Photo: PTI)
Sharma’s breathtaking effort had two effects: he not just left Tendulkar behind, in terms of World Cup hundreds scored , but also sent out a strong message to all the other sides in the tournament. Ahead of India’s mega clash on Saturday against Pakistan, this was the best possible news for an Indian cricket fan.
Tendulkar achieved his record in six appearances at the ODI World Cup. He did not score a hundred in his debut event in 1992. Then as he moved to being an opener, we saw a complete transformation in his ODI record. There were times during the 1999, 2003 and 2007 World Cups when Tendulkar did not open, but the records were his for the taking. Then in his final appearance at an ODI World Cup in 2011, Tendulkar made two of his final hundreds in the tournament.
India famously won that edition of the ICC World Cup, in his sixth and final appearance.
Sachin Tendulkar celebrating the 2011 World Cup with his team-mates.
(Photo: PTI)
Sharma, 36, is in a similar situation right now for this could well be his final appearance at an ODI World Cup, but he has gone ahead of Tendulkar with plenty to spare.
But this record may not have come his way, had it continued the way it started.
Before the 2007 World Cup, the Indian team management led by then captain Rahul Dravid and head coach Greg Chappell backed out at the last minute from picking Sharma in the squad. Then in 2011 again he missed out, again at the last minute.
For someone who was meant to debut directly at the international level in the 2007 World Cup, Sharma’s turn to play the event came only eight years later in 2015. He did score one hundred in that tournament, against Bangladesh in what was a heartbreaking moment for India’s neighbours. Then we all know what happened in the 2019 World Cup when Rohit scored a record five hundreds and lit up the tournament in the sometimes gloomy United Kingdom.
Rohit Sharma celebrates his second century of the 2019 ICC World Cup, against Pakistan.
(Photo: PTI)
Sharma’s ODI debut was delayed, he had to wait for his ODI World Cup debut for eight years and even for his appearance in Test cricket he had to wait for three years as he got injured on the eve of his debut in 2010. Even captaincy came to Sharma quite late in his career and that too by default.
This was all unlike what Tendulkar went through during his 24-year long career.
Sharma hence appears to be in a hurry when he is out in the middle as he tries to smash bowlers at will as was evident against Afghanistan. During his record knock on Wednesday night, he also became the one to hit the greatest number of sixes in international cricket (Tests/ODIs and T20Is) replacing that beast of a striker, Chris Gayle.
Again, Sharma is nothing quite like Gayle who was a ferocious striker of the ball and who left bowlers battered. Sharma is different in that he strikes sixes effortlessly and makes the bowlers wonder just what he did wrong, rather than leave them dazed.
Sharma can pull effortlessly, strike straight and go over cover. He has more range of strokes than Gayle which makes him even more lethal.
Sharma is willing to take the bowlers on now more than ever because he realises that this tournament is a case of now or never. He is also tired of answering queries about the trophy drought at ICC events since 2013. He knows very well the Indian public will like nothing less than the trophy in his hands on 19 November after the final.
India's Virat Kohli with Afghanistan's Naveen-ul-Haq during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 match between India and Afghanistan, at Arun Jaitley Stadium, in New Delhi, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023.
(Photo: PTI)
Sharma alongside Virat Kohli is the last of the batting superstars that Indian cricket has and who will draw crowds. So, it is very essential that everywhere he goes during the ongoing World Cup, he leaves behind a mark. Kohli too left behind his mark on Wednesday by becoming the highest run-getter across ODI and T20I World Cups.
The two current batting superstars of Indian cricket have pencilled their names in the history books and we are not even at the end of the first week of the World Cup!
Wednesday indeed was a strange night. We witnessed history in front of our eyes. And strangely we also witnessed bonhomie on the field. It is not about Rashid Khan sharing a laugh with the Indian boys, that was expected.
It is the Kohli and Naveen ul Haq hug which left everyone confused including the crowd at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Kohli’s gesture asking the crowd to stop trolling Naveen summed up what was an unique night for one and all.
If there was anything else you might have wished for, it may well have come true on Wednesday night! Oh we did get that, that was the Jasprit Bumrah masterclass on a placid track, when everyone else struggled.
It was that kind of a night.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)