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Thursday, November 13, 2014

incredible Rohit Sharma sets a new landmark - highest in ODI 264 !

This morning I posted about the comeback of Rohit Sharma – and the way he is being welcomed – with Virat Kohli hailing him as probable X factor in World Cup – resting prolific  Shikhar Dhawan, dropping Murali Vijay without a chance and making run maker Ajinkya Rahane and century maker Ambati Rayudu on tenterhooks.

13th Nov 14 was destined to be different for those who watched at Kolkatta and for the player himself.   Kohli won the toss, decided to bat - Angelo Mathews bowled the second over -   it was 2; 0;0;0;0;0 – certainly no indicator of what were to happen. The carnage ! – the  27-year-old was caught at long-off from the final ball of the innings, looking for the boundary that would have levelled the List A record of 268, set by Ali Brown of Surrey against Glamorgan in 2002.  Before 2010, no batsman had passed 200 in 2,961 previous one-day internationals, today it  is the fourth 200 in four years, all of which have been made by India batsmen in India.

It is all about Rohit Sharma and today his  first ODI in 10-weeks began with a touch of nerves. He was even kept scoreless in one Angelo Mathews maiden. By the end of the innings, there was no shot he had not played. No part of the ground he had not exploited. No bowler who escaped his brutality. Rohit amassed 45 more runs than any ODI batsman had ever managed in an innings, finishing on 264 from 173 balls when he was finally caught off the last ball of the innings.  

Rohit's innings was so outrageous that the first 100 runs, which were hit at a run-a-ball, seem achingly humdrum in comparison to the 164 that followed, reports Cricinfo. There were many incredible shots, from among his 33 fours and nine sixes, but the most gobsmacking was the six off Kulasekara at the end of the 48th over, when he walked across to off stump, took a half volley from about a foot and half away from him and flicked it high over the midwicket boundary. It was the kind of shot, and innings, that seemed in open defiance of physics.

The highest individual score had progressed – for sometime it was Glen Turner’s 171 made in 1st WC; then Kapil Dev made 175 n.o in 1983 WC; Richards made 189; Saeed Anwar 194 at Chepauk  ….. Sachin first breached 200; Sehwag upstaged him……….. now it is 264 from the boy who already has a double ton in ODI against Aussies.

By the time Rohit hit Kulasekara down Mahela Jayawardene's throat at long off, the record for most fours struck in an innings had also tumbled, and Rohit was in possession of half the ODI scores over 200. One record he missed out on by one delivery, was Sunil Gavaskar's record for most balls faced. Gavaskar had made 36 not out.  Rohit Sharma RG Sharma ©  Jayawardene b Kulasekara- 264 off 173 balls – 33 fours and 9 sixers. 

The man who had scored 268 in class A - AD Brown played 16 One day internationals for England ~ made one century and retired in 2011 ending his 22 year country cricket career. Rohit with this innings has sky-rocketed way above people and would end up much much higher.  Great innings indeed...

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

Photo credit : BCCI

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