“He kept on talking” - When Rohit Sharma ignored MS Dhoni’s advice en route to his maiden ODI double hundred
Rohit Sharma once revealed he ignored MS Dhoni's advice en route to his maiden double century in the ODI format. His comments came during an Instagram Live session with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in 2020.
Rohit's first ODI double hundred came against Australia in Bengaluru in November 2013. The Men in Blue batted first and got off to an imperious start with Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan (60).
Although, 'Hitman' maintained his momentum, the likes of Virat Kohli (0), Suresh Raina (28) and Yuvraj Singh (12) couldn't quite join the party. Skipper Dhoni arrived at No. 6, with India at 207/4 in the 34th over.
In his bid to keep India in good stead, Dhoni advised Rohit Sharma to play an anchor role and avoid a reckless approach. However, the opening batter went against Dhoni's suggestion and tormented the Australian bowlers to the hilt.
Rohit went on to score 209 off 158 balls, with 12 fours and 16 sixes and helped India post a 384-run target. Meanwhile, Dhoni also opted for an aggressive approach by slamming 62 off 38 balls. The game ended with India winning by 57 runs, as Australia were bundled out for 326.
Here's what Rohit recalled during the conversation with Ashwin (via Ashwin's Instagram):
“During the partnership, he (Dhoni) kept on talking and discussing things with me. He said, ‘You are the set batsman and we want you to bat till the 50th over and I will be the one who takes chances.'"
All Rohit Sharma's double centuries have come in India
Rohit Sharma has scored three double hundreds in the ODI format. Apart from the aforementioned Australia game, he achieved the feat on two other occasions in 2014 and 2017.
In November 2014, Rohit scored the highest-ever individual ODI score of 264 off 173 against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. His efforts helped the Men in Blue win by 153 runs.
Rohit's third double century also came against Sri Lanka in December 2017 in Mohali. He hit 208* off 153 to power India to a total of 392, resulting in the team winning by 141 runs.