Hitting a double century in an ODI cricket match is a commendable feat, given that each side gets only 300 balls to either post a total or chase a target. And while most batsmen spend their entire cricketing career without hitting even one, Indian batting legend Rohit Sharma has scored three ODI double centuries already. There have only been eight cricketers who have at least one ODI double century to their name with the Indian batsman being the only player to do it more than once. Here’s the Rohit Sharma double century list.
Rohit Sharma double century list
| Date | Vs Opponent | Runs | Venue |
| November 2, 2013 | Australia | 209 | M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| November 13, 2014 | Sri Lanka | 264 | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| December 17, 2017 | Sri Lanka | 208* | Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali |
| October 19, 2019 | South Africa | 212 | JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi |
In an ODI career spanning over 227 matches, Rohit Sharma has hit 29 centuries in the 50-over format as well, fairly explaining his current ICC ODI ranking of No. 3. But, what sets him apart from other batsmen is his tenacity and temperament to stay at the crease and hit ODI double century three times.
Rohit Sharma vs Australia 2013: 209 runs
The Australia tour of India is mostly remembered for the sheer number of runs both teams had scored on Indian soil. There were five innings with scores crossing the 350-run mark and the batting paradise of M Chinnaswamy Stadium was perfect for Rohit Sharma to explode. After getting his first 50 runs in 71 balls, Rohit Sharma didn’t look back. He took on the Australian spinners and ended up hitting a whopping 16 sixes before being dismissed in the final over. Chasing a target of 384 runs, Australia had almost pulled off a miracle before being bowled out for 326 runs.
Rohit Sharma vs Sri Lanka 2014: 264 runs
While Rohit Sharma’s double century against Australia had made him the perfect successor to Sachin Tendulkar, it was his double hundred against Sri Lanka in 2014 that made him unparalleled in the eyes of the masses. Playing at his favourite home ground, Eden Gardens, Rohit Sharma had become the first and only batsman to hit 250 runs in ODI cricket. His colossal innings of 264 runs off 173 deliveries against Sri Lanka remain the highest individual score in ODI history. India had given a target of 405 runs and Sri Lanka were bundled for 251 runs in return.
Rohit Sharma vs Sri Lanka 2017: 2017 runs
After hitting two double tons in two consecutive ODI matches, cricket fans had started to believe that they had seen the last of Rohit Sharma’s hitting prowess when lightning struck for the third time three years later. The opponent was Sri Lanka yet again and the venue, Mohali. Batting first, Rohit Sharma started in his familiar aggressive fashion hitting 13 boundaries and 12 sixes in the process and remaining unbeaten this time at 208. Interestingly, chasing a target of 393, the Sri Lankan side were bowled out for 251 runs yet again as India won by 141 runs.
Other double centurions in ODI cricket
The first male cricketer to score a double century in ODI cricket was Sachin Tendulkar. The Master Blaster had remained unbeaten on 200 while facing South Africa in 2010 in Gwalior. In classic Tendulkar style, the legend had hit a whopping 25 boundaries and three sixes against a fearsome bowling line-up led by Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis. India had given a target of 402 before winning the match by 153 runs.
While Tendulkar remained the first man to hit an ODI double century, it was Australian woman cricketer Belinda Clark who hit the first-ever ODI double century in the history of the game in 1997. There is one other woman cricketer to achieve this feat. New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr has an unbeaten 232 to her name against Ireland.
The first cricketer to score a double century in an ODI World Cup is West Indies opener, Chris Gayle. In one of the most blistering innings, the southpaw had hit the fastest double century in ODIs against Zimbabwe in Australia during the 2015 World Cup. While Gayle had achieved the feat in the group stages, New Zealand’s Martin Guptill had done it in the quarter-finals of the same tournament edition against West Indies.
Other batsmen to achieve this feat are Virender Sehwag and Fakhar Zaman.
Rohit Sharma vs South Africa 2019: 212 runs
Unlike ODI cricket, a double century in Test cricket isn’t a rarity and quite obviously, Rohit Sharma has a double-ton to his name in the longest format as well. Taking on South Africa in a Test match in Ranchi, a part of the ICC World Test Championship, Rohit Sharma had led from the front to score 212 runs to help India post a massive first innings total of 497 runs. South Africa had conceded a follow-on and were eventually bundled for a total of 295 runs. It was one of the more important innings of Rohit Sharma’s Test career as it had cemented his place as an opener in the Indian Test cricket team.
