Rohit Sharma enters record books by becoming first skipper to win 13 consecutive T20Is

India completed a resounding victory over England in the T20I series opener at the Rose Bowl Cricket Ground on Thursday (7th June). Rohit Sharma’s side won the game by a considerable margin of 50 runs. The win meant that the Indian skipper has now won a record 13 T20I matches on the trot.

Sharma, who missed India’s rescheduled fifth Test against England last week after testing positive for Covid-19, recovered in time to resume his duties with the T20I team. The Indian skipper was handed over the reins of the team after Virat Kohli stepped down from his duties post the T20 World Cup in 2021. Previously, the Indian skipper’s winning run started after he led India on three occasions in T20I, in the absence of regular skipper Kohli, and was victorious in all the matches.

Since taking over from the former Indian skipper, the Mumbaikar has won 10 consecutive T20Is, taking his tally to 13 consecutive wins in the format, the most by any captain. He overtook Afghanistan’s Asghar Afghan, with 12 successive wins under his belt. Notably, the Indian team has won 25 matches out of the 29, in which the opener has led the team. The star batter also became the third Indian to breach the 1000-run mark in T20I as captain of the side during the first T20I against England.

Hardik Pandya’s meteoric rise continues

India posted a daunting target of 199 runs for the hosts on a batting paradise after important contributions from almost all the batters. The most notable innings came from the blade of Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who scored his maiden fifty in the format for the national side. He continued his terrific form with the bat scoring a 33-ball 51 in the first innings.

The 28-year-old was not done after his half-century in the first innings as he broke the back of the English batting lineup after scalping four crucial wickets. The flamboyant all-rounder returned with career-best figures of 4/33 in his four overs, stamping his authority on the game.