India’s KL Rahul has broken a record set by his captain Rohit Sharma in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
The wicketkeeper-batsman has become the fastest Indian century scorer during India’s 160-run triumph over the Netherlands at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.
Rahul, 31, scored 102 runs off 62 balls, surpassing Sharma’s record century from 63 balls.
The Indian captain had accomplished the feat in an earlier World Cup 2023 match against Afghanistan at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on 11 October.
Former India batter Virender Sehwag has scored India’s third fastest century in a 50-over World Cup, off 81 balls against Bermuda in 2007.
Rahul struck four sixes and 11 fours in his knock of 102 runs as India reached 401 runs in 50 overs before winning the game by 160 runs.
This was just one of the few other records he broke during his knock.
Rahul became the second Indian wicketkeeper-batter to hit a 50-over World Cup hundred after his current head coach and cricketing legend Rahul Dravid.
The former India captain had achieved this feat in the 1999 World Cup against Sri Lanka, when he played a knock of 145 runs.
On Sunday, Rahul recorded his seventh One-Day International (ODI) century for India during his stint.
Together with Shreyas Iyer, he put up 208 runs in what turned out to be the highest fourth-wicket partnership in a Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Iyer also scored a century against the Dutch side and remained unbeaten on 128 off 94 balls. He struck five sixes and 10 fours.
The match between India and Netherlands in Bengaluru was the final group game of the 2023 World Cup.
Indian skipper Sharma had his own record-breaking streak during the match.
The 36-year-old bagged the record for most sixes hit by a batsman in a calendar year in ODIs. Sharma has now smashed 60 sixes in 2023, passing the previous record of 58 that was held by South African legend AB de Villiers, who achieved the feat in 2015.
With 24 sixes from nine games in the ongoing tournament, Sharma also clinched the record for most sixes by a captain in a single edition of the Cricket World Cup.
Sharma has the opportunity to extend his lead in the said records in at least one more match as India has qualified for the cricket tournament’s semi-final.
