Indian limited-overs opener and vice-captain Rohit Sharma became the fourth batsman to score 600+ runs in an edition of the Cricket World Cup. He broke many records after India’s latest CWC match against Sri Lanka.
India was playing their final round-robin stage match of the ongoing 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup against Sri Lanka on Friday at Leeds. Before this match, India already secured their place for the semi-final of this tournament.
Sri Lanka batted first in this match and scored 264/7 (50 overs). In reply, the Indian openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma’s outstanding batting performances helped India to chase down that target very comfortably. While Rahul and Rohit both hit the centuries, they had an incredible opening partnership of 189 runs. Rohit scored 103 runs and Rahul scored 111 runs in this match as India reached the target in 43.3 overs after losing three wickets (265/3).
In the ongoing CWC, Rohit is in a brilliant form with the bat. He has scored 647 runs in eight innings of this tournament with an average of 92.42. The right-handed batsman has hit five centuries and one more half-century in this tournament.
Here are the records which Rohit Sharma created during the latest CWC match against Sri Lanka:
i) Rohit Sharma (647 runs) scored most runs in the preliminary stages of a CWC edition. Just one day ahead, Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan became the first batsman to score 600+ runs in the preliminary stages of a CWC edition. Breaking the previous record of Sachin Tendulkar’s (India) 586 runs (2003 CWC), Shakib scored 606 runs in this CWC. Now, Rohit broke this record and scored 647 runs in the preliminary stages of this CWC.
ii) Rohit Sharma is the third most run-scorer in a CWC edition. Only Sachin Tendulkar (India) and Matthew Hayden (Australia) are ahead of Rohit. Sachin scored 673 runs in 2003 CWC and Hayden scored 659 runs in 2007 CWC.
iii) Rohit Sharma is the fourth batsman to score 600+ runs in a CWC edition. The other three batsmen are Sachin Tendulkar (673 runs in 2003), Matthew Hayden (659 runs in 2007) and Shakib Al Hasan (606 runs in 2019).
iv) Rohit Sharma hit most centuries in a CWC edition. While he hit five centuries in the ongoing CWC, Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) is in the next position with four centuries in 2015 CWC.
v) Rohit Sharma hit his sixth century in CWC career. It is the joint most centuries for a batsman in CWC career. Before Rohit, Sachin Tendulkar (India) was the only player to hit six CWC centuries.
vi) Rohit Sharma is the second batsman to hit three consecutive centuries in a single edition of CWC. In 2015 CWC, Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) hit four straight centuries.
vii) Rohit Sharma is the second Indian batsman to hit three successive ODI centuries. In October 2018, Virat Kohli was the first Indian batsman to hit three consecutive ODI centuries.
viii) Rohit Sharma is the first batsman in CWC history to hit three centuries while chasing.