ODI World Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma joins elite list featuring Sourav Ganguly, Kapil Dev after wicket against Netherlands

Rohit Sharma. (Photo source: X(Twitter)

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has created multiple new records in the ongoing ODI World Cup. On Sunday (November 12) against Netherlands, the Hitman became the first Indian skipper to win nine consecutive matches in the history of the tournament and also became the first cricketer to amass more than 500 runs in any two editions of the competition.

Notably, in 2019, Rohit hit 648 runs and in 2023, he has already breached the 500-run mark following a half-century against Netherlands. However, more than his batting, it’s the bowling that’s been making the headlines. The opener decided to roll his arms towards the fag end of the match against the Netherlands as he eventually picked up the wicket of Teja Nidamanuru to seal a 160-run win.

With that, Rohit joined the elite list of Indian skippers to have a wicket to their name in ODI World Cup history. Sourav Ganguly was the last Indian skipper to do so, as he picked up three wickets against Zimbabwe in the 2003 edition of the competition. The only other skipper to feature in the list is the legendary Kapil Dev, who picked up 17 wickets across 1983 and 1987.

Interestingly, Nidamanuru’s wicket was Rohit’s first scalp in ODI cricket in 11 years. The last time he picked up a wicket was against Australia in 2012 at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Since then, the 36-year-old had rolled up his arms a couple of times in international cricket, the last being in Chennai, against England in February 2021.

Meanwhile, Rohit was elated following India’s emphatic win over the Netherlands at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. India qualified for the semi-finals as the only unbeaten team in the tournament and will take on New Zealand in their next match. The Kiwis have bothered India in the past in knockout matches and hence, the Men in Blue need to be cautious in their approach. However, both batting and bowling units are in good form at the moment and hence, there’s a sense of confidence in them getting over the line and qualifying for the finals.