'Sachin Tendulkar needed 6 World Cups': Ravi Shastri on gulf between Rohit Sharma and Master Blaster after AFG onslaught

After being left out of India's 2011 World Cup team, Rohit Sharma is adamant about seizing this chance. The skipper of India was manic on Wednesday night at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium as he knocked the stuffing out of Afghanistan en route to a blazing century, following his dismissal for a duck against Australia in India's World Cup 2023 opener.

With a brilliant innings of 131 off 85 balls, Rohit broke a number of records, including the most sixes ever hit in international cricket, the fastest century by an Indian in World Cup history, and the third-highest century maker in One-Day Internationals.

However, Rohit's achievement of surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar with his seventh World Cup century is maybe the greatest of them. Not only did Rohit overtake Tendulkar, but he outperformed the Master Blaster by a whopping 22 innings. 

Tendulkar scored six hundreds over the course of six World Cups and nineteen years, whereas Rohit amassed his seventh century in just nineteen innings, five of which came at the 2019 World Cup. Ravi Shastri, the former coach of India, believes that this is a fantastic accomplishment and that by the time the tournament is over, the globe would have seen a couple more hundreds from the captain's bat.

"It is an incredible accomplishment to score seven hundreds in eight years of World Cup cricket. It's difficult to feel that yearning and then return. Sachin Tendulkar required six World Cups as well. And this guy has seven centuries in three World Cups in eight years.

He hasn't finished yet, but it's a lot. After India's 8-wicket thumping of Afghanistan, Shastri spoke with the host broadcaster. "There are a lot of games left in the tournament and as an opening batter, early doze in the tournament with more league matches coming, if you start getting hundreds, then there is every chance you might add two or three."

It was almost impossible to stop Rohit. He embarrassed the Afghanistan bowlers with 14 fours and a six. Nobody was exempt. Everyone was pasted, including Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, and Fazalhaq Farooqi. 

Reminiscent of the World Cup four years prior, when he hammered hundreds against Bangladesh, South Africa, Pakistan, England, and Sri Lanka, Rohit was at his most ruthless. According to Shastri, Rohit has always had a sense for timing. When you combine that with his ability to power the ball, like he demonstrated yesterday, it makes him genuinely exceptional.

"You cannot use one phrase with too many other players that you identify with Rohit Sharma. He takes his time doing everything when he's flying. He is not in a rush, even while he is chipping away at the track with intensity. The bat always follows the same path

it goes against spin and pace. He possesses natural strength and timing. It is an extremely lethal combo. Even the largest fields in the world seem tiny when you have these two," he continued.