Rohit Sharma hit a 3rd ODI double century exactly 3 years go in 2017, becoming the first and only batsman till date to achieve this feat.
It was at PCA-IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on December 13, 2017, that he hit an unbeaten 208 against Sri Lanka- his third double ton after 209 and 264.
Rohit Sharma Tweets More Double Tons Are To Come
On Saturday, as Star Sports tweeted about the achievement, Rohit Sharma replied with a simple message, ‘More to Come’. Rohit Sharma captained IPL 2020 winners Mumbai Indians and led them in the last few matches after missing 4 matches but looked in discomfort.
He is India’s most dependable opener averaging 49.27 in 224 ODI matches. Still, he wasn’t in the squad for the tour of Australia as he was under rehabilitation at NCA after suffering a hamstring injury in IPL 2020.
More to come ?
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) December 13, 2020
The level of his achievement is such that no other player has been able to replicate it apart from Rohit Sharma and there are a total of just 8 double centuries in ODI cricket. None apart from him who scored 200-3 times has scored double ton even twice.
Sachin Tendulkar Was First To Reach 200 Breaking Saeed Anwar’s 194
In a famous match in Gwalior, legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman to reach the double hundred mark in ODI cricket when he hit an unbeaten 200 against South Africa in February 2010 breaking Pakistan batsman Saeed Anwar’s long-standing ODI record of 194 that he hit against India in Chennai, way back in 1997. Sachin Tendulkar’s unbeaten 200 opened the flood-gates as Virender Sehwag, and Rohit Sharma soon followed scoring double tons within 2 decades.
His opening partner Virender Sehwag went on to better the record by scoring 219 against the West Indies in Indore the following year.
The next two double centuries in ODI cricket came from the Mumbai batsman Rohit Sharma. He first scored a 209 against Australia at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore in November 2013. Exactly a year later, he followed it up with the highest ODI score ever made till date- a 264 against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
West Indies batsman Chris Gayle (215), New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill (237*) and Pakistan batsman Fakhar Zaman (210*) are the only other batsmen to hit double centuries in ODIs apart from the Indian trio.