• Source:JND
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IND vs AFG, 2nd T20I: Rohit Sharma made a promising return to captaincy in the T20I format as he led the Indian team to a series victory over Afghanistan with a match still to be played.

India defeated Afghanistan by six wickets in the second T20I match at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Sunday, January 14.

Rohit had a monumental achievement at an individual level as he became the first men's cricketer in the history of the game to play 150 T20Is.

 

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However, he had a disappointing outing with the bat as he was dismissed for 0, a repetition of his innings in the first match, creating an unwanted record as well.

However, despite his poor run of form with the bat, Rohit made it count with the series win as he became the first Indian captain to win 12 bilateral T20I series and also equaled the former skipper MS Dhoni's tally of 41 T20I victories as captain of the side.

 

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Apart from that, Rohit also leveled former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed's record of winning 10 bilateral T20I series in a row as captain.

Rohit took over the captaincy of the T20I side on a full-time basis from Virat Kohli in November 2022 after the latter stepped down from his role.

Even during Virat's stint, Rohit led India in T20Is whenever the regular skipper was rested.

It is to be noted that the 36-year-old Rohit is the only player to have played in all eight editions of the T20 World Cup, having scored two hundreds in the shortest format as captain.

Acknowledging his achievement of 150 T20I matches, Rohit said; "It is a great feeling, it has been a long journey starting way back in 2007. I've cherished every moment I have spent here."

Rohit was left happy and proud with the clinical performance of the team in the two matches so far as he mentioned the team to have ticked all the boxes.

"We have been clear with what we wanted to do, a very clear message to everyone and when you see a performance like that, you can be really proud. One thing is talking about it, but to actually go there and play that way is a proud feeling. The last two games, we've ticked a lot of boxes," Rohit said.

The series against Afghanistan is India's final bilateral assignment the T2I format before the T20 World Cup in June this year.

While India aim to finalise the combination for the marquee tournament scheduled to be played in the West Indies and the USA, players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube will be eyeing a cemented place as the duo put up a show with the bat on Sunday.

"They've had a great couple of years, Jaiswal has played Test cricket now and even T20I. He has shown what he is capable of. He has the talent and has a great range of shots. Dube is a big guy, very powerful, and can take on the spinners. That is his role and he has come out and played two crucial innings for us," Rohit further said.

The third and final T20I of the series between India and Afghanistan is scheduled to be played at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, January 17.