In a surprising turn of events during an inconsequential Asia Cup match against Bangladesh, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma found himself sharing an unwanted record with Virat Kohli. Just days after achieving the remarkable milestone of 10,000 ODI runs, Rohit faced an unexpected dismissal, which marked his 15th duck in One Day International (ODI) cricket.
The incident occurred during the second ball of India's innings as they chased a target of 266 runs set by Bangladesh. Facing a delivery from Bangladesh pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rohit attempted to play a shot over cover for a boundary but couldn't get the retion. As a result, the fielder comfortably caught the ball, sending Rohit back to the pavilion without scoring a run.
Notably, this was Rohit Sharma's first duck since July 14, 2022, during an ODI against England at Lord's. It also marked his first duck since taking on the role of full-time ODI captain. This places Rohit on par with Virat Kohli, with both having 15 ducks to their names in ODI cricket. Sachin Tendulkar leads the chart with 20 duck dismissals. In Rohit's case, only two of these ducks occurred while he was the ODI captain, equalling Virender Sehwag in this regard.
In the same match, India's bowlers, led by Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Shami, managed to put Bangladesh in a tough spot early on, reducing them to 59 for four in the 14th over. However, a resilient partnership between Bangladesh's captain Shakib Al Hasan and Towhid Hridoy, with both scoring half-centuries, helped their team recover. Nasum Ahmed also contributed with a valuable 44 off 45 balls, enabling Bangladesh to reach a total of 265 for eight.
India, having already secured a spot in the final after victories over Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super Four stage, will face defending champions Sri Lanka in the final showdown on Sunday in Colombo. The match promises to be an exciting clash between two cricketing giants as they vie for the coveted Asia Cup title.
