Rohit Sharma. Image Credits: X
Former India skipper and World no. 1 ODI batter, Rohit Sharma, has set a new benchmark with his dedication towards the game even at the age of 38. He became the oldest batter in cricket history to be the top-ranked batter in the ODIs. Notably, Rohit Sharma is currently active only in ODI cricket after retiring from the Tests and T20Is.
Rohit is the only batter to smash three double centuries in ODI cricket, a rare milestone to achieve for the batters in the limited-over format. He also has the highest individual score to his name in the ODIs. Given that, here’s a look at the five best innings in ODIs.
Rohit Sharma’s five best innings in ODIs
264 vs Sri Lanka - Kolkata ODI 2014
India and Sri Lanka were taking on each other in the 4th ODI of the five-match series after the hosts had taken an unassailable lead of 3-0. The then-India skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and decided to bat at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The opening pair of Rohit and Ajinkya Rahane stitched 40 runs for the first wicket.
Meanwhile, Rohit was also dropped after scoring just four runs, which cost Sri Lanka further. Rohit smashed a blistering double ton, scoring 264 runs off just 173 balls, with 33 fours and nine sixes, with an explosive strike rate of 152.60. His knock, followed by Kohli’s 66, helped the Men in Blue post 404 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in the allotted 50 overs.
It was also the second ODI double century for Rohit Sharma. Later in the second innings, the visitors were bundled out at the score of just 251, falling 13 runs short of even Rohit’s individual score in this game. Eventually, India won the game by 153 runs, and Rohit won the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
209 against Australia - Bengaluru ODI 2013
After the series was levelled at 2-2, India and Australia faced each other in the seventh and last ODI of the memorable seven-match ODI series. The then-Australia skipper George Bailey won the toss and asked India to bat first at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
India’s opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit scored 112 runs for the first wicket before the former fell prey to Xavier Doherty. Furthermore, Rohit went on to smash the Aussie bowling attack across all corners of the ground and scored his career’s first-ever ODI double century.
The right-hander ended up scoring 209 runs off 158 balls, with 12 fours and 16 sixes, registering a strike rate of 132.27. His knock helped the hosts score 383 runs for the loss of six wickets in the first innings before they bundled George Bailey’s men at 326 runs to win the game by 57 runs.
208* against Sri Lanka - Mohali ODI 2017
After losing the first ODI against Sri Lanka, India hosted them in the second game of the three-match series.
The visiting skipper, Thisara Perera, won the toss and asked the hosts to bat first. Batting first, the Men in Blue had a fantastic opening start of 115 runs by Shikhar Dhawan (68) and Rohit Sharma.
After Dhawan’s departure, Rohit stitched another match-winning partnership of 213 runs for the second wicket with the then-young batter Shreyas Iyer (88). Rohit himself smashed his career’s third ODI double century, scoring 208 runs off 153 balls, with 13 fours and 12 sixes.
India posted 392 runs for the loss of four wickets before restricting the Islanders to 251 runs for the loss of eight wickets. Eventually, India levelled the series with a 141-run win, and Rohit won the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
171* against Australia - Perth ODI 2016
India and Australia were facing each other in the first ODI of the five-match series in Australia. The then-India skipper, MS Dhoni won the toss and trusted his batters to take charge first. Rohit Sharma lived up to his skipper’s expectations and scored an amazing century, hitting 171 runs off 163 balls, with 13 fours and seven sixes.
His 171, followed by Kohli’s 91-run knock, took India’s total to a score of 309 runs for the loss of three wickets in the allotted 50 overs. Besides their brilliant individual scores, Rohit and Virat Kohli also added an essential partnership of 207 runs for the second wicket.
Nevertheless, the visitors lost the game by five wickets despite Rohit’s batting heroics as the then-Australia skipper Steve Smith forced India away from the win.
122* vs South Africa - The Rose Bowl ODI 2019 World Cup
In June 2018, India and South Africa locked horns in the eighth match of the ODI World Cup 2019. The Proteas skipper, Faf du Plessis, won the toss and elected to bat first. India’s bowling attack restricted South Africa to 227 runs for the loss of nine wickets in the entire 50 overs.
While chasing the target, India faced two early blows in Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, losing both of them at the team’s score of just 54 runs. Furthermore, Rohit Sharma went on to play a match-winning, unbeaten knock of 122 runs off 144 balls, with 13 fours and two sixes.
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