209, 264, 208*: Watch all 3 Rohit Sharma ODI double hundreds here
Mohali: Rohit Sharma on Wednesday cemented his reputations as one of the finest strikers of the ball in limited over crickets after he scripted a hat-trick of centuries in ODIs.
Read: Double hundred is an anniversary gift to my wife Ritika Sajdeh: Rohit Sharma
All in all, seven double tons have been scored in the limited-overs format and the Mumbai batsman now nearly owns half of them in his name. The other four double hundreds have been scored by the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Martin Guptill and Chris Gayle.
Read: 3 double hundreds! Rohit Sharma slams 3rd double ton in ODIs, 2nd vs Sri Lanka
The stand-in India skipper who holds the world record for the highest score of 264 in ODIs, first notched his double ton against Australia back in 2013. Rohit was at it again on Sunday, hammering the Lankan bowling and smacking an unbeaten 208 off 153-balls.
When Rohit Sharma scaled Mt.200 for the 3rd time https://t.co/crHFf8DbND #INDvSL #RohitSharma #MohaliODI
— DC Sports (@_DCSports) December 13, 2017
Here’s a recap of his previous two double hundreds:
Score: 209 vs Australia
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
When: November 2, 2013
Rohit became the third Indian batsman to score a double ton in ODIs, joining the illustrious company of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan provided a solid start for India, laying the foundation for a big score. Disaster soon followed, after Rohit was involved in a horrible mix-up with Virat Kohli, that led to the latter’s dismissal.
Check out: India vs Sri Lanka - Rohit Sharma scores 3rd ODI double hundred, Twitter erupts
However, that did not affect his morale as he teared up the Australian bowling, lighting up 12 fours and 16 sixes. That was enough to see the hosts down the Aussies by 57 runs.
Score: 264 vs Sri Lanka
Where: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
When: November 13, 2014
Making a comeback into the team after missing three months through injury, Rohit once again made the world aware of his precious talent. There were still doubts about his place in the 2015 ICC World Cup and he had a luck escape even in that comeback innings when Thisara Perera dropped him when he was on four.
Watch: After Virat-Anushka, Rohit Sharma-Ritika Sajdeh’s love wins the internet
Rohit then took his time to settle in and once he took control of the situation, he cleared airs with the highest individual score in the format, making his way into many new records. Rohit was on a completely different zone that day.
4TH ODI: IND vs SL – Rohit Sharma 264 https://t.co/T4a2Cq1c50 #INDvSL #RohitSharma #TeamIndia
— DC Sports (@_DCSports) December 14, 2017
Read: Have to use brains, don’t have power of Dhoni, AB or Gayle, says Rohit Sharma
There were a host of records Rohit broke on his way to his 3rd double ton. He recorded the highest individual score by a captain in ODIs, bettering Virender Sehwag’s 219 vs West Indies. He also surpassed Virat Kohli’s record of the highest score (154 vs New Zealand) at the PCA Stadium in Mohali.
Previously Virat Kohli heaped praise on Rohit Sharma’s batting when he was still trying to break into the India squad.