Asia Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma equals Virat Kohli's unwanted feat by getting out for zero against Bangladesh!

PC: Hindustan Times

Ahead of the high-stakes Asia Cup clash against host nation Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Rohit Sharma etched his name in the annals of cricket history by crossing the record of 10,000 runs in One Day International (ODI). In an impressive display of batting prowess, he became the second-fastest cricketer to achieve the feat, taking 241 innings to do so, which is just 46 more than Virat Kohli and 18 less than the great Sachin Tendulkar. It was a moment of pride and celebration for the Indian cricket community.

However, destiny had a different plan for Rohit when he once again took the field against Bangladesh at the same Colombo venue, India was tasked with chasing the target of 266 runs given by Bangladesh. In an unexpected turn of events, Rohit Sharma faced an unwanted ODI record. All this came to light on the second ball of India's innings. Bangladesh fast bowler Tanzim Hasan Shakib bowled a slightly wide and full ball to Rohit. The Indian captain attempted to beautifully direct the ball over the cover fielders to the boundary. Unfortunately, he could not get the required height and the fielder took the catch easily and dismissed Rohit for a duck in two balls.

This was Rohit's first time to be out for a duck in the Lord's ODI against England on July 14, 2022. Notably, this was the first instance of Rohit suffering such a result after assuming the role of full-time ODI captain last year. In his illustrious ODI career, this was his 15th duck, putting him tied with Virat Kohli in sixth place, while Sachin Tendulkar holds the record of being out on 20 such ducks. Remarkably, only two of these zeroes came when he was leading the ODI team, equaling Virender Sehwag, and only one behind Kohli (who had three such zeroes). Sourav Ganguly leads the charts in this regard with nine dismissals for zero.

The Indian bowlers, especially Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Shami, made an early impact with the new ball before Rohit came to the crease briefly. He reduced Bangladesh's score to 59 runs for four wickets by the 14th over. However, a resilient 101-run partnership between Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and Tauheed Hridoy helped his team recover as both players scored their respective fifties. Nasum Ahmed's contribution of 44 runs in 45 balls further strengthened Bangladesh's innings, helping them reach a total of 265 runs for eight wickets.

Shardul Thakur emerged as the standout performer among the bowlers by taking three important wickets, while Mohammed Shami took two other wickets. India had already secured their place in the final thanks to wins against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super Four stage earlier in the week. Their next challenge awaits them in the final against defending champions Sri Lanka at the same Colombo venue on Sunday.