This day, that year: When Rohit Sharma smashed 264 runs
Rohit Sharma had etched his name on the record books on this day five years ago. The Indian cricketer had smacked 264 runs off just 173 balls against Sri Lanka in an ODI match at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Till date, this knock remains as the highest score by an individual in ODIs. Here is a flashback of what happened.
Rohit had smashed his second double ton on this day
It was the fourth ODI of the series between the two sides and Rohit was on a different level altogether. He smashed his second ODI double century after amassing his first double ton in ODIs against Australia (209) in 2013. The opening batsman also went on to hit his third double century later on in 2017 against Lanka. He had scored 208*.
How did the match pan out?
Batting first, India posted a massive total of 404/5 in 50 overs. Rohit took 173 balls to amass his 264. He shared a pivotal 202-run stand for the third wicket alongside Virat Kohli (66). Nuwan Kulasekara (1/89) accounted for Rohit's wicket in the final over. In reply, the Lankans were bowled out for 251. Dhawan Kulkarni (4/34) was top notch for the hosts.
Rohit had broken Sehwag's record of 219 in ODIs
Interestingly, Rohit was dropped on four by Lanka. He then cashed in and made the visitors pay for the mistake. The knock helped Rohit break the previous record of 219 runs held by Virender Sehwag for his knock against the West Indies in 2011. However, Sachin Tendulkar was the first Indian batsman to smash a double ton in ODIs.
Rohit has established himself as a leading batsman
Rohit has played 218 ODIs so far. He has amassed 8,686 runs at 48.52. The 32-year-old has smashed 27 hundreds and 42 fifties at a strike-rate of 88.57. Rohit was also the top run-scorer in the 2019 World Cup. He has established himself as one of the leading batsmen in limited-overs cricket. And now, he has also found his feet in Test cricket.
