SPORTS
Shubman Gill Misses Historic Record Despite Century Against Afghanistan, Sehwag's Milestone Still Stands Tall
Indian captain Shubman Gill continued his impressive form by scoring a magnificent century against Afghanistan national cricket team in the second ODI. Gill played a brilliant knock of 154 runs off 110 balls, striking 22 fours and two sixes.
However, despite the outstanding performance, Gill was unable to surpass a remarkable record that has remained untouched in Indian cricket for more than 15 years.
Virender Sehwag's Captaincy Record Remains Unbroken
The record belongs to former Indian opener Virender Sehwag.
In 2011, Sehwag produced one of the greatest ODI innings ever played by an Indian captain when he smashed 219 runs against the West Indies cricket team at the Holkar Cricket Stadium.
That innings remains the highest individual ODI score by an Indian captain.
Before Sehwag's record-breaking effort, the mark was held by Sachin Tendulkar, who scored an unbeaten 186 against the New Zealand national cricket team in Hyderabad in 1999.
Rohit Sharma Came Closest
Among recent Indian captains, Rohit Sharma came closest to overtaking Sehwag's record.
In 2017, Rohit scored an unbeaten 208 against the Sri Lanka national cricket team in Mohali. Despite crossing the double-century mark, he fell just 11 runs short of Sehwag's historic 219.
Virat Kohli Also Fell Short
Former captain Virat Kohli also produced several massive ODI innings as captain but could not surpass Sehwag's milestone.
Some of his highest scores as captain include:
-
157* vs West Indies in Visakhapatnam
-
160* vs South Africa in Cape Town
While both innings showcased Kohli's dominance, neither came close to Sehwag's record-breaking score.
Gill's Best Score as Captain
Gill's 154-run innings against Afghanistan is now his highest score as captain in ODI cricket.
The knock demonstrated his ability to anchor the innings while maintaining an aggressive scoring rate. However, he remained well short of the 219-run benchmark set by Sehwag.
Highest ODI Scores by Indian Captains
| Player | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| Virender Sehwag | 219 | West Indies |
| Rohit Sharma | 208* | Sri Lanka |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 186* | New Zealand |
| Virat Kohli | 160* | South Africa |
| Virat Kohli | 157* | West Indies |
| Shubman Gill | 154 | Afghanistan |
Conclusion
Shubman Gill's century against Afghanistan further strengthened his reputation as one of India's leading batters. Yet, Virender Sehwag's incredible 219-run innings as captain continues to stand as one of the most extraordinary records in Indian ODI cricket.
With Gill still at the beginning of his captaincy journey, fans will be watching closely to see whether he can one day challenge a milestone that has survived the batting brilliance of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and several other Indian greats for more than a decade.
