Scored a century after 13 years of debut… Hashmatullah Shahidi made a place in Sunil Gavaskar’s special club.

New Delhi. A new chapter on the uncertainties and patience of cricket was written on the Chepauk ground of Chennai. When Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi scored the first century of his ODI career against Team India, it was not just a hundred. This was such a great story of his 13 years long wait, unwavering patience and fighting spirit, which placed him in the special list of the greatest legends of world cricket. It is said that scoring runs in cricket can be easy, but amidst the pressure of international cricket, proving oneself year after year and waiting for more than a decade for one’s first century is not everyone’s cup of tea. When Shahidi played a brilliant inning of 102 runs against India, he created a unique history.

Hashmatullah Shahidi, who entered international ODI cricket in 2013, took 4644 days to reach his first century. This journey was so long and struggling that it reminded cricket lovers of the great batsmen of the olden times. Shahidi has now become the fourth batsman in the world in terms of waiting the maximum number of days between ODI debut and first century.
At the top of this list is Regis Chakabwa of Zimbabwe, who had to wait a long time of 5040 days for his first century.

Sunil Gavaskar’s name is at number two
At the same time, the name of India’s greatest batsman Sunil Gavaskar comes at second place. Gavaskar, popularly known as ‘Little Master’, took 4858 days to score his first ODI century. After this comes Captain Arjun Ranatunga, who made Sri Lanka the world champion, who scored his first ODI century after 4674 days. Now Hashmatullah Shahidi, after 4644 days of rigorous penance, has joined this very special and historical elite club. Right behind him is former England captain Nasir Hussain, who took 4639 days for his first century.

Shahidi’s patience and end of Afghan innings in Chennai
When other Afghanistan batsmen were struggling against the Indian bowlers on the turning and challenging pitch of Chennai, captain Shahidi stood like a rock at one end. Facing 131 balls, he played a fighting inning of 102 runs with the help of 13 fours and 1 brilliant six. His strike rate was 77.86, which clearly shows how intelligently and patiently he batted to handle the team. However, after completing the century, he was caught by Shreyas Iyer on the ball of Prasidh Krishna.

The entire Afghanistan team was reduced to 218 runs in 44.2 overs.
Despite this captaincy innings of Shahidi, the entire Afghanistan team was limited to 218 runs in 44.2 overs. Indian fast bowler Prasidh Krishna played a key role in wrapping up the Afghan innings. Krishna bowled murderously and took 5 wickets for just 23 runs in 8.2 overs and also bowled two maiden overs. This five-wicket haul of Prasidh Krishna prevented Afghanistan from reaching a big score after Shahidi’s century.

Second slowest century in the history of Afghanistan
This innings of Shahidi also became the second slowest century innings in the cricket history of his country. The record for scoring the slowest ODI century for Afghanistan is in the name of Ibrahim Zadran, who completed his century in 131 balls against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in the year 2023. Shahidi reached this milestone in 126 balls against India in Chennai. In this case, he left behind Usman Ghani (125 balls vs Zimbabwe, Bulawayo 2014), Rahmat Shah (125 balls vs Ireland, Greater Noida 2017) and Sediqullah Atal (125 balls vs Zimbabwe, Harare 2024).

The fruits of patience are indeed sweet and historic
Even if this innings is called slow in modern cricket, but from the point of view of Afghanistan cricket, this century of Shahidi is a witness to his growing stature and his ability to handle the match. Standing in the line of captains and legends like Sunil Gavaskar and Arjun Ranatunga, Shahidi has proved that the ‘fruits of patience’ in cricket are indeed sweet and historic.