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IND vs AFG: 39 year old Rohit Sharma stole the show in Gurnur-Harsh’s debut, broke 37 year old record

By Samira Vishwas

IND vs AFG: Former Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma may have retired from Test and T20. But he is playing ODI format and is making new records in his name with every match. Even at the age of 39, his journey is not stopping. His eyes are also on the 2027 World Cup, that is why Rohit is a part of the three ODI series against Afghanistan and he created history as soon as he entered the first ODI being played in Dharamshala.

Rohit has now become the oldest player to play ODI cricket for India. He broke a 37 year old record. Earlier this achievement was in the name of 1983 World Cup winning team member Mohinder Amarnath. Amarnath played his last ODI against West Indies on 30 October 1989 at the Wankhede Stadium. At that time his age was 39 years and 36 days.

However, Rohit is not the oldest Indian to play ODI. This record is in the name of former female fast bowler Jhulan Goswami, who played her last ODI match against England at Lord’s in 2022 at the age of 39 years and 303 days. It is noteworthy that no Indian cricketer has represented the country in ODIs after the age of 40.

Rohit became the oldest player to play ODI for India
When Rohit Sharma took the field against Afghanistan on 13 June 2026, he was 39 years and 44 days old. With this, he achieved the distinction of becoming the oldest player in Indian ODI history. However, the record of becoming the oldest ODI player in world cricket is still far away from him. This record is in the name of former Netherlands batsman Nolan Clarke. Clarke played an ODI match against South Africa on 5 March 1996, when he was 47 years and 257 days old. This record has been maintained for the last three decades.

Zimbabwe’s AJ Tricos is at second place in this list. He played ODI against India in 1993 at the age of 45 years 312 days.

India chose bowling in the rain affected match
The match against Afghanistan was affected by rain, due to which the match was reduced to 25-25 overs. Indian captain Shubman Gill won the toss and decided to bowl first. Gill said that the weather and pitch conditions can be helpful for the fast bowlers. He also clarified that the team management was trying different combinations as part of preparations for the World Cup.

ODI debut of Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar
India gave a chance to two new players in this match. Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar made their ODI debuts. KL Rahul handed the debut cap to Harsh Dubey. While captain Shubman Gill gave the cap to Gurnoor Brar. During the toss, Gill said that the team will play about 15 to 20 ODI matches before the next World Cup and during this time different players and combinations will be tried. He also said that in this match, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prince Yadav and Kuldeep Yadav did not get a place in the playing-11.

For Rohit Sharma, this match was not just a comeback match, but also became a day of historic achievement. Even at the age of 39, his passion and fitness remains an inspiration for Indian cricket.

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