IND vs AFG: Rohit Sharma's Rough Patch Continues, Registers Back-to-back Ducks on T20I Comeback

It seems as if Rohit Sharma’s misery upon his return to T20Is will persist, as the Indian skipper, who was playing against Afghanistan, in what is his 150th T20I, today was forced to walk back to the pavilion for yet another duck.

India, who are facing a target of 173, sent out openers Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal to set their innings up. Jaiswal got off the mark with a quick boundary to set the tone and rotated the strike to let his skipper get off the mark, but alas.

Rohit went for what seemed like a completely premeditated shot, stepping down the ground to go for the maximum without even gauging what Afghanistan’s Farooqi might be throwing his way. Farooqi’s slightly-slower delivery calmly snuck under Rohit’s swinging blade and crashed the top of off-stump, leaving the skipper dejected.

Rohit’s dismissal also ended up in him achieving a rather undesirable feat. With his duck today, Rohit Sharma now becomes the batter to be dismissed for the most ducks in T20Is, as this marks his 12th duck. He surpasses the likes of Regis Chakabva and Soumya Sarkar, who had 11 ducks each.

This is the second T20I innings in a row for the Indian skipper where he has had to return to the dressing room for a measly duck, after returning to the format following a gap of 14 months. Before the first T20I of the current Afghanistan series, the last he played for India in the shortest format was the semifinal of the 2022 T20 World Cup where they suffered a defeat to England.

Rohit’s duck in the first innings upon his return was one that could be attributed partly to his strike partner Shubman Gill’s lack of intent as well. It was the second ball of India’s innings when Rohit played the ball on mid-off and ran straightaway to steal a single, meanwhile, Gill had his eyes set on the ball as he didn’t make any attempt to take the run. The poor communication resulted in Rohit’s dismissal as the Indian skipper left the pitch in frustration as he also shouted at Gill.

But, this time around, it was all Rohit’s own doing as he completely misjudged Farooqi’s delivery, resulting in a shocking yet deserving dismissal.