Champions Trophy: Rohit Sharma aims to break Sachin Tendulkar's record
What's the story
Indian cricket team captain, Rohit Sharma, is on the cusp of breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record for most runs scored by an Indian skipper in One Day Internationals (ODIs).
With only 68 runs separating him from the milestone, Sharma has a golden opportunity to rewrite history in the 2025 Champions Trophy match against New Zealand on March 2.
The game will be held at Dubai International Cricket Stadium as part of Group A's fixtures.
Here's more.
Progress report
Rohit's journey to the record
Rohit, who has already scored 2,387 runs from 53 ODIs the Indian captain, is seventh on the list of highest-scoring Indian skippers.
He averages an impressive 53.04 with a strike rate of 113.18.
Rohit's record features five centuries and 16 half-centuries in his captaincy.
The match against New Zealand could see him leapfrog Tendulkar's 2,454 runs from 73 matches as skipper.
Tournament performance
A look at Rohit's performance in Champions Trophy
Despite not having a high-scoring run in the ongoing Champions Trophy, Sharma has consistently given India brisk starts.
He has scored 61 runs in two matches at an average of 30.50 and a strike rate of 119.60.
His quickfire of 41 off 36 balls laced with seven boundaries against Bangladesh was instrumental in setting up India's successful run-chase.
This highlights his crucial role as captain and opener for the team.
Milestone
Rohit Sharma completes 9,000 ODI runs as opener
Rohit recently attained a massive milestone in ODIs.
The skipper surpassed 9,000 runs in ODIs as an opener.
Meanwhile, Rohit achieved the landmark in the Champions Trophy encounter against arch-rivals Pakistan on February 23.
The veteran batter got to the milestone with his first run of the contest.
Additionally, he owns 30 tons and 44 fifties as an opener. As per ESPNcricinfo, he is now the sixth batter in ODI history to achieve this record.
History
Rohit surpasses 11,000 runs in ODI cricket
Indian captain Rohit recently breached the 11,000-run mark in ODIs.
The veteran opener achieved the milestone with his 12th run in India's Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh.
As per ESPNcricinfo, Rohit is now the second-fastest to this mark (261 innings) after Virat Kohli, who took just 222 innings.
Rohit even went past Master Blaster Tendulkar, who completed 11,000 runs in 276 ODI innings.
Numbers
The skipper averages 48.88 in ODIs
As mentioned, Rohit just crossed the 11,000 ODI runs mark, now having amassed 11,049 runs across 270 ODIs.
He averages 48.88 and has managed a strike rate of 92.80 in 262 ODI innings.
The batter also owns 32 tons and 57 fifties alongside three double-centuries. Notably, his highest score is 264, which he smashed against Sri Lanka in 2014.