If ever there was a dream return from injury, Rohit Sharma lived it to the T at Eden Gardens on Tuesday - becoming the first man ever in the history of one-day internationals to hit two double centuries and going on to become the highest ODI scorer ever by forcing 264 runs down Sri Lanka's throat in the fourth ODI at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
It was surely the stuff dreams are made of, but it was not a dream. An Indian was hammering leather and the Lankans were chasing it. That was the only item on the menu for thousands in the stands at Eden - possibly the best setting and atmosphere for a world-record innings.
Rohit's 264 off 173 balls included 33 fours and 9 sixes, which calculates to 186 runs in boundaries. Incidentally, it's also a world record for most fours in a single innings.
Rohit's first double century was against Australia during the Bangalore ODI in 2013, when he hit 209 off 158 balls. But this one broke many more records. Here's the list:
- First man in the history of the game to register two ODI double hundreds
- Highest individual score (264) in an ODI
- Highest individual score by an Indian in List A cricket
- Second highest individual score ever in List A cricket
- Most fours in an ODI innings
Rohit's belligerence, which saw him go from 50 to 250 in just 94 balls, took India past 400 to register their fourth highest total in ODIs.
- India 418 for 5 vs West Indies, Indore, 2011
- India 414 for 7 vs Sri Lanka, Rajkot, 2009
- India 413 for 5 vs Bermuda, Port of Spain, 2007
- India 404 for 5 vs Sri Lanka, Kolkata, 2014
There have been just three men to reach the landmark of 200 in ODIs, and all of them are Indians doing it in India in the last four years starting with Sachin Tendulkar in 2010.
- Rohit Sharma, 264 vs Sri Lanka, Kolkata, 2014,
- Virender Sehwag, 219 vs West Indies, Indore, 2011
- Rohit Sharma, 209 vs Australia, Bangalore, 2013
- Sachin Tendulkar, 200 vs South Africa, Gwalior, 2010
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