Rohit Sharma

This was India's second-successive clean sweep victory against New Zealand in a T20I series, having registered a 5-0 win over the Kiwis at their own turf in January 2020. It was also the first series win for Sharma as full-time skipper and newly appointed head coach Rahul Dravid and they passed the test with flying colors. A fifty by captain Sharma (56 off 31 balls) and some late charge by the lower-order guided India to a competitive 184-7 in 20 overs. Apart from Sharma, Ishan Kishan (29), Venkatesh Iyer (20) and Shreyas Iyer (25) also got good starts but they failed to capitalise.

Outstanding knocks from Rohit Sharma (48), Suryakumar Yadav (62) and a timely boundary by Rishabh Pant (17*) helped India register a five-wicket win over New Zealand in a thrilling first T20I, taking 1-0 lead in the three-match series at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. "We (Boult and I) played a lot of cricket together and he knows my weakness and I know his strength, it's a good fight between the two," said Rohit at the post-match presentation.

The All-India Senior Selection Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), while announcing the squad for the two Tests, did not give any reason for their exclusion, although it is widely speculated that they have been rested due to the gruelling schedule over the last six months.

He further added that India doesn't have to think long-term when it comes to appointing a new T20I skipper, saying that the next T20 World Cup will be played in Australia next year. Kohli's tenure as India's T20I captain came to an end on Monday as the Men in Blue suffered an early exit from ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE.

After India's batting, comprising of Rohit Sharma (74 off 47 balls), KL Rahul (69 off 48 balls), Hardik Pandya (35 not out off 13 balls) and Rishabh Pant (27 not out off 13 balls) rose to the occasion to post a gigantic 210/2 in 20 overs, it was always an uphill mountain to climb for Afghanistan, who made 144/7 in their 20 overs. Afghanistan lost openers Mohammad Shahzad and Hazratullah Zazai in the power-play. While Shahzad lobbed one to mid-off off Mohammed Shami for a three-ball duck on the last ball of third over, Zazai top-edged to short mid-wicket off Jasprit Bumrah on the first ball of the fourth over.

 Cricket fans around the world are looking forward to the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup that kicks off on October 17. The Indian fans are particularly watching for the epic encounter between India and Pakistan, which is scheduled for October 24 at the Dubai International Stadium.

On Friday, young batter Ishan Kishan (84) and Suryakumar Yadav (82) played outstanding knocks as Mumbai Indians scored a mammoth 235/9, which was way beyond Sunrisers Hyderabad's reach as the five-time champions won by 42 runs. But the victory was not enough as the five-time IPL champions bowed out of this edition of the IPL.

Six Mumbai Indians players -- Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Rahul Chahar -- are also part of the 15-member Indian squad for the T20 World Cup, beginning October 17.

"I think Rohit Sharma for the next two World Cups. You could say they (World Cups) are back-to-back, one starting in a month and another exactly a year from now. So clearly, yes, you don't want to change too many captains at this particular stage. Rohit Sharma would definitely be my choice for captaincy of the Indian team for both these T20 World Cups," said Gavaskar on 'Cricket Connected' show on Star Sports.

The Mumbai captain achieved the feat during the match Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. He now tops the list with over 1000 runs, with David Warner being the only player close to him. The Australian southpaw has 943 runs against Punjab Kings and 915 versus the Kolkata outfit.