Rohit Sharma has overtaken MS Dhoni to become the most-capped Indian cricketer in the shortest format of the game.
Rohit Sharma went past former Indian captain MS Dhoni for the most appearances by an Indian cricketer in T20Is. The ongoing game against Bangladesh is Rohit's 99th appearance in the shortest format. Dhoni has played 98 games in the T20 format for the country so far. In the overall list, Rohit Sharma has moved up to the third position, with the top-two places occupied by Pakistan cricketers. While Shoaib Malik is the only cricketer to have played in over a hundred T20Is (111), Shahid Afridi played 99 matches for the side.
Justifiably, Rohit Sharma has equalled Afridi's number of appearances and will become the only second player to play 100 T20 international games during the second match at Rajkot.
Rohit is also the stand-in skipper for the side in the ongoing T20I series against Bangladesh, as first-team captain Virat Kohli has been given rest. The first T20i is being played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
The Mumbai batsman has had a terrific year with the bat so far, as Rohit scored five centuries in the 2019 World Cup. Even as India failed to win the title, Rohit finished as the highest scorer of the global tournament.
Following the struggles of KL Rahul in the Test series against West Indies, Rohit Sharma was promoted for the opening role for the home series against South Africa. The 31-year-old made an excellent start to his 'second innings' as an opener in the side, scoring 529 runs in three Test matches.
MS Dhoni, meanwhile, has been absent from action ever since the 2019 World Cup. He made himself unavailable for India's first cricket assignment since the tournament (West Indies tour), joining the Territorial Army on a 15-day stint.
He also pulled out of the home T20I series against South Africa, and remained absent from the squad for the Bangladesh series. There have been heavy speculations over his future in the Indian team, and the figures at the authority - Indian captain Virat Kohli, Chief Selector MSK Prasad and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly have all denied confirming the future of the former Indian captain.
After the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, India will take on their sub-continent neighbours in a two-match Test series. In December, the side will host West Indies for a three-match T20I and ODI series.
