Sharma's Talent Shines And Sets Eden Gardens Alight

Rohit Sharma may have only made 9 runs in India’s fifth One Day international against Sri Lanka but his sensational innings in the fourth match will be the highlight of the series and remain on cricket highlight reels for decades to come. As India celebrate a 5 nil clean sweep they’ll also be recalling Rohit’s World record score.

264 isn’t a bad one day total but when one player makes that score on his own you know your team is in with a pretty good chance of winning the game. It’s what India did, easing past Sri Lanka in the fourth match of their series thanks largely to one man. Rohit Sharma’s scintillating knock broke records and blew minds around the world with cricketing countries across the continents in awe of an amazing innings.

Rohit Sharma’s Superb World Record

His 264 off 173 balls saw India reach 5 for 404 off their 50 overs and Sharma become the world record holder for the highest individual one day score. Sri Lanka fell well short of their target; in fact Sharma’s score alone was enough to beat the royal blues with the Sri Lankans all out for just 251. While the Indian’s incredible effort was unbelievable it wasn’t entirely surprising. That’s the 27 year old’s second one day double century, and he’s the only player on the planet who’s achieved the feat.

It was Rohit’s first game of the series after he had a 2 and a half month lay-off from cricket to recover from finger and shoulder injuries. And while many would have forgiven the top order batsman for being rusty the Sri Lankans should have and perhaps would have known better. Sharma had returned to the crease in a warm up game in Mumbai against the same opposition just a few weeks earlier. In that match however he only managed a mere 142 off 111 balls.

This innings though was out of this world, especially as Sharma accelerated through the gears. Having taken 72 balls to reach 50 he then exploded registering another 214 runs off the next 94 balls. Sharma bashed the ball into or over the rope a whopping 42 times nailing 33 fours and 9 sixes.

He actually broke the world record when he reached 220, surpassing another extravagant Indian batsman. Virender Sehwag’s 219 against the West Indies was now no longer number 1 and Rohit hadn’t finished. Unfortunately he was out on the final ball of India’s innings….but seriously who cares and who will remember. What people will remember is the 172 previous balls he faced and the phenomenal batting display they witnessed.

Indian’s whitewash the Exclusive Double Club

Sharma’s second one day double century came a little over a year after another freakish effort which saw him manage the milestone for the first time. The batsman blasted 209 against Australia in Bangalore on the second of November last year. That day he hit more sixes than fours clearing the rope 16 times as he managed 28 boundaries off 158 deliveries.

While he’s the only man to make two double tons and the only man to crack 250, there are 2 others in the exclusive 200 club and not surprisingly they’re both Indian. The first man to do it was one of the greatest players to have graced the game. The Little Master Sachin Tendulkar managed the mark against South Africa in 2010. India’s most decorated cricketer remained 200 not out on home soil after belting 25 fours and 3 majors off 147 balls. However Sehwag surpassed his score in 2011 after a sublime knock against the West Indies. Sehwag sent the ball into the stands 7 times while 25 fours saw him hold the record of 219 before Sharma obliterated it. A special mention goes to Pakistan’s Saeed Anwar who fell 6 runs short against India in 1997, while you have to feel sorry for Zimbabwe’s Charls Coventry who remained unbeaten on 194 against Bangladesh in 2009.

So what next for Indian’s new superhero? Surely 300 is not possible… or is it? Asked if he could achieve a triple ton Sharma replied he’d try his best. At 27 he’s still a young man in the cricket world and he’ll have many more opportunities to deliver more spectacular moments. His World record will surely last a long time and perhaps he may be the only man capable of breaking it.