Rohit Sharma carried on his scintillating form from the previous ODI into the second match against Sri Lanka. The Indian captain was once again a force to be reckoned with, unleashing a barrage of powerful shots against the Lankan bowlers. Chasing 241, Rohit bludgeoned with his effortless strokeplay. Right from the outset, he displayed his aggressive intent, making it clear that the Sri Lankan bowlers were in for a long day.
The ‘Rohit Sharma’ show once again
The term ‘Hitman’ is often used to describe Rohit, and it couldn’t be more fitting. He gracefully cleared the boundary ropes, leaving the Sri Lankan fielders scrambling. The Lankan bowlers struggled to find a way to contain the Indian skipper. Whether it was short or full, Rohit seemed to have an answer for everything. He even lofted some strokes over covers, and also tried those sweeps and reverse sweeps, with one ultimately leading to his downfall.
Rohit Sharma surpasses Dravid
With this innings, Rohit scripted history by surpassing former Indian captain and head coach Rahul Dravid to become the fourth-highest run-getter for India in ODIs. His tally now stands at an impressive 10,831 runs. Similar to Dravid, Rohit’s batting position was also altered quite a bit in the format. Rohit started as a middle-order basher but failed to transpire his talent. Then from the 2013 Champions Trophy, MS Dhoni asked him to open and the rest, as they say, is history.
Most ODI runs for India ft. Rohit
Player | Runs | Innings | Average |
---|---|---|---|
Sachin Tendulkar | 18,426 | 452 | 44.83 |
Virat Kohli* | 13,877 | 282 | 58.54 |
Sourav Ganguly | 11,221 | 297 | 40.95 |
Rohit Sharma | 10,831 | 256 | 49.23 |
Rahul Dravid | 10,768 | 314 | 39.15 |
Rohit, meanwhile, with his four sixes in the day, also became the first Indian to smash 300 ODI sixes as an opener. What a natural six-hitter Rohit is!