India captain Rohit Sharma is celebrating his 37th birthday today. He is currently busy playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Mumbai Indians and will be taking the field today against Lucknow Super Giants. He will also be leading India in the T20 World Cup starting from June 1 in the West Indies and the USA. Among all three formats, Rohit has been a beast in the ODIs and has three double centuries to his name in the format. He has amassed 10709 in 262 matches so far with 264 being his highest score.
On the occasion of his 37th birthday, we take a look at Hitman's three double tons:
1. 209 vs Australia in Bengaluru in November 2013
Scoring a double century might be normal in modern day cricket but Rohit Sharma did it for the first time when the number was a dream for any batter. He smashed a sensation double century against Australia in the deciding 7th ODI played at the Chinnaswamy Stadsium in Bengaluru. The current India skipper smacked as many as 16 sixes in the innings to go with 12 fours launching an unexpected assault on the opposition. Having opened the innings, Rohit only got out in the final over of the innings but not before scoring 209 runs off 158 deliveries propelling India to 383 runs in 50 overs. Team India won that match by 57 runs and also pocketed the series.
2. 264 vs Sri Lanka in Kolkata in November 2014
Exactly a year later, Sri Lanka faced the wrath of Rohit Sharma's batting, this time at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After opting to bat first, India lost two wickets for just 59 runs in 13 overs. But from here on, Rohit took control of the innings stitching a partnership with then skipper Virat Kohli. Things seemed to normal until the 35th over when Rohit reached his ton and then there was unreal shift in gear as the hitman took the Sri Lanka bowlers to the cleaners smashing a total of 33 fours and nine sixes in his innings. He eventually ended up scoring a mammoth 264 off 173 balls and was only dismissed on the final ball of the innings with India posting 404 runs in 50 overs.
3. 208* vs Sri Lanka in Mohali in December 2017
Fast forward to three years, and Rohit Sharma yet again proved why he is the best opener in world cricket. It was Sri Lanka again at the receiving end as the India captain slammed an unbeaten 208 off 153 balls with 13 fours and 12 sixes. He batted for 212 minutes and this time around, didn't get dismissed either as Rohit became the first and only player to smash three double centuries in the ODI format. Thanks to his record-breaking knock, India posted 392 runs in their 50 overs to eventually win by 141 runs.
