Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Indian men’s cricket team, played a spectacular knock of 119 runs off 90 balls in the second ODI against England at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday.
In his 50th match as India’s ODI captain, Rohit struck 12 fours and 7 sixes, leading his team to a successful chase of 305 runs. India reached the target in 44.3 overs with six wickets in hand, maintaining their position as the world’s No. 1 side. The 37 years old right-hander, who is one of the three Indian captains to have won an ICC trophy, will be looking to deliver another strong performance in the final match of the series.
The last game of the series between India and England is set to take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 12. If Rohit scores at least 13 runs in this match, he will become the second fastest batter in the world to reach 11,000 runs in ODIs. So far, he has amassed 10,987 runs in 267 ODIs since making his debut against Ireland on June 23, 2007, in Belfast.
The record for the fastest 11,000 ODI runs belongs to Virat Kohli, who achieved the milestone in 222 innings from 230 matches. Rohit, who has batted 259 times in his 267 ODIs, is now on the verge of joining this elite club.
A century in the third ODI would also place Rohit among the legends of Indian cricket. If he scores a hundred, he will become only the third Indian batter, after Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, to reach 50 international centuries. Tendulkar, who retired with 100 international hundreds from 664 matches, remains at the top, while Kohli has 81 centuries from 544 matches so far.
During the second ODI, Rohit also surpassed Chris Gayle’s record of 331 sixes in ODIs. If he hits at least 14 more sixes in Ahmedabad, he will claim the record for the most sixes in the ODI history. The current record holder is former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, who smashed 351 sixes in his 398-match career spanning 19 years. With Rohit in top form, he has a real chance of adding another major record to his name.
All the best to Rohit Sharma and team India!
