NEW DELHI: Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi finally got his much-awaited maiden ODI hundred, hitting a fighting knock of 102 against India in the third and final ODI at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.The century was a milestone for Shahidi not only because it was his first ODI ton but also because of the long wait it involved. After making his ODI debut in 2013, it took Shahidi 4644 days to score his first hundred in the format – the fourth-longest gap between an ODI debut and a maiden century in men’s cricket.Only Zimbabwe’s Regis Chakabva (5040 days), India’s Sunil Gavaskar (4858 days) and Sri Lanka’s Arjuna Ranatunga (4674 days) have waited longer for their maiden ODI hundred.
Most days from ODI debut to first ODI century
- 5040 – Regis Chakabva (2008-2022)
- 4,858 – Sunil Gavaskar (1974-1987)
- 4674 – Arjuna Ranatunga (1982-1994)
- 4,644 – Hashmatullah Shahidi (2013-2026)
- 4639 – Nasser Hussain (1989-2003)
Shahidi especially thrived at a time when Afghanistan was in deep trouble. After opting to bat first, the visitors slumped to 36/4 inside the first 10 overs as Prasidh Krishna tore through the top order.Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah and Darwish Rasooli all fell cheaply and Prasidh finished the innings with career-best figures of 5/23.With the wickets swirling around him, Shahidi took charge of the recovery. The left-hander played patiently, regularly finding gaps and rotating shots as he ensured Afghanistan did not collapse completely.First, he added 105 runs for the fifth wicket with Azmatullah Omarzai, who scored a quick 50 off 56 balls. The partnership helped Afghanistan regain some stability after early damage.Shahidi reached his 50 off 64 balls before going on to anchor the innings. Even after suffering from cramp in the later stages of his knock, he went on to bring up his first ODI century after 128 deliveries.The turning point arrived fittingly with a boundary off Washington Sundar. Shahidi eventually finished with 102 off 131 balls, an innings that included 13 fours and a six.He later shared another important stand of 57 runs with veteran Mohammad Nabi as Afghanistan crossed the 200-run mark.With Nabi gone, wickets fell quickly at the other end, but Shahidi battled through pain and fatigue to take Afghanistan to a respectable total of 218.
