Former India captain Rohit Sharma on Saturday added another record to his career, becoming the oldest male cricketer to play one-day internationals (ODIs) for India.Rohit achieved the milestone during the rain-shortened first ODI against Afghanistan at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala. At the age of 39 years and 75 days, he surpassed former India all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath, who was 39 years and 36 days when he played his last ODI for India in 1989. This record is limited to men’s cricket. Overall, the oldest Indian to play in ODIs is former India Women’s fast bowler Jhulan Goswami, who played her last ODI against England at Lord’s in 2022 at the age of 39 years and 303 days. No Indian cricketer has represented the country in ODI cricket after the age of 40.Due to rain, the start of the match was delayed by more than four hours. The game, which was originally scheduled to start at 1:30 PM, finally started at 5:45 PM and was reduced to 25 overs per side.The 39-year-old is also expected to be a part of India’s ODI World Cup campaign next year. If he plays in the tournament, Rohit can become the first Indian cricketer to play ODI cricket after the age of 40.In the match, Indian captain Shubman Gill won the toss and decided to bowl first against Afghanistan. Incessant rain delayed the toss before officials decided the contest would be 25 overs per side.The ongoing series is the first bilateral ODI series between India and Afghanistan. The second ODI will be played in Lucknow on June 17 while Chennai will host the final match on June 20.Before this series, the two teams had faced each other only in the ODI World Cup and Asia Cup. India had won three of their four meetings while the other ended in a tie.India enter the match having lost three of their last five ODIs, while Afghanistan enter the series with four consecutive ODI wins. Last week, India defeated Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs in the only Test.India gave ODI debuts to left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey and fast bowler Gurnor Brar. While Rohit returned to the international set-up, Virat Kohli was unavailable due to a hamstring injury.
