Rohit Sharma waving to his fans. (Courtesy: BCCI/Twitter)
As Rohit Sharma returns to T20I action later on Thursday evening, he will be set to surpass MS Dhoni”s massive record as a captain in the shortest format. Sharma will be returning to the shortest format after almost 14 months. His last appearance came in the 2023 T20 World Cup semi-finals against England, where India were beaten by 10 wickets. The three-match T20I series starts in Mohali, with the second and third T20Is, set to take place in Indore and Bengaluru respectively.
Sharma has guided Team India to win 39 out of 51 matches as a captain while Dhoni is still the most successful T20I captain with 41 wins under his belt from 72 matches. The Mumbai opener will surpass Dhoni”s record if India clean sweeps the series 3-0.
The odds are in favour of the World No.1 side to dominate the series against 10th-ranked Afghanistan. It will also be the final dress rehearsal for the hosts ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup, starting from June 2 in the United States.
The hosts will open with dashing young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Sharma, with the likes of young Rinku Singh and Tilak Verma in their ranks. However, the visiting team is largely expected to be impacted by the absence of the experienced all-rounder Rashid Khan.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott, has said that it will be a chance for other players to step up and prove their mettle in absence of Rashid. The all-rounder had travelled with the team to Chandigarh but is deemed unfit to play and ruled out of the series.
