Ranking all ODI double hundreds by Team India batters
Young Team India batter Ishan Kishan created history on Saturday, December 10, shattering the record for the fastest men’s ODI double hundred. He reached his 200 off only 126 balls, easily beating the record of West Indies legend Chris Gayle, who hit a double ton off 138 deliveries. Kishan was eventually dismissed for 210 off 131 balls, an innings that featured 24 fours and 10 sixes.
During the course of his splendid knock, he also featured in a wonderful 290-run partnership with Virat Kohli. The latter ended up scoring 113 off 91 balls, his first ODI hundred since August 2019.
Thanks to Kishan and Kohli, Team India ended up posting a mammoth 409/8, batting first. Shardul Thakur (3/30), Axar Patel (2/22), and Umran Malik (2/43) then chipped in with the ball as India registered an emphatic victory by 227 runs.
Rating Team India's double hundred club
By going past 200, Kishan also became only the fourth Indian player to score a double hundred in the ODI format. On that note, we rank all the double-centuries scored by Indian batters in one-dayers.
#1 Sachin Tendulkar (200* off 147 vs South Africa)
Rather fittingly, Sachin Tendulkar was the first-ever batter to smash a double hundred in ODIs. He slammed 200* off 147 against South Africa in Gwalior in February 2010. The Men in Blue batted first after winning the toss and Tendulkar played a supreme knock, striking 25 fours and three sixes.
At a time when putting up a total of 400-plus was pretty much unheard of, Tendulkar’s masterclass took India to 401/3. Yes, Gwalior’s surface was a batting beauty, but the opposition team had the likes of Dale Steyn, Wayne Parnell, and Jacques Kallis in their bowling attack, all of whom were taken apart by Tendulkar.
Scoring a double hundred in ODIs today is not seen as improbable. And like in so many other aspects of batting, Tendulkar set the benchmark here as well.
#2 Rohit Sharma (264 off 173 vs Sri Lanka)
Current Team India skipper Rohit Sharma’s 264 is the highest-ever individual score in the history of men’s ODI cricket. He scored it off 173 balls at Eden Gardens in Kolkata against Sri Lanka in November 2014. The Men in Blue won the toss and batted first, but lost Ajinkya Rahane (28) and Ambati Rayudu (eight) cheaply.
At 59/2, they were under pressure. However, Rohit rose to the challenge and scored a superb double hundred to bat Sri Lanka out of the game. The Hitman struck 33 fours and as many as nine sixes in a spectacular exhibition of big-hitting as the hosts put up 404/5.
Rohit was batting on 197 off 150 balls after 45 overs. He displayed amazing stamina and went past 260 with some amazing clean hitting in the last five overs before being dismissed off the last ball of the innings. While Lanka’s bowling wasn’t very strong, batting for 50 overs and smashing 264 was still a herculean feat.
#3 Rohit Sharma (209 off 158 vs Australia)
Rohit clobbered 209 off only 158 balls in the seventh ODI of the seven-match series against Australia in Bengaluru in November 2013. It was a high-scoring series and Rohit capped it off with a dazzling double hundred in the last match. His stroke-filled knock featured 12 fours and as many as 16 sixes - a fair indication of his dominance.
Australia possessed a decent bowling attack comprising the likes of Clint McKay, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Faulkner, and Shane Watson. At the end of 43 overs, Rohit was batting on 134 off 133 balls. Yet again, he went completely berserk at the death, clobbering fours and sixes at will.
The Hitman was dismissed in the last over as India posted 383/6 after being sent into bat. Australia came hard in the chase as Faulkner struck a hundred, but Rohit’s assault meant the visitors had too big a mountain to climb.
#4 Ishan Kishan (210 off 131 vs Bangladesh)
Scoring a double hundred against Bangladesh in Bangladesh would not have been considered a big feat a decade back. However, the Bangla Tigers are a completely different force to reckon with now, especially in ODIs. They haven’t lost a bilateral ODI series at home since October 2016. In that sense, Ishan Kishan’s double ton was a highly impressive effort.
Team India were demoralized going into the dead rubber, having lost the first two matches from dominant positions, thus conceding another ODI series. They were also without their injured skipper Rohit. However, the Hitman’s absence proved to be a blessing in disguise.
Kishan, who might not have played if Rohit was fit, grabbed his chance and hit a magnificent double hundred. The standout aspect of the left-hander’s knock was the ease with which he found the boundaries.
It was just a day when the batter was completely in his zone. And it wasn’t surprising to hear that the youngster felt he could have got a 300 had he batted on. The supreme confidence was evident in his batting.
#5 Virender Sehwag (219 off 149 vs West Indies)
Captaining the team, Virender Sehwag slammed a typically swashbuckling 219 off 149 balls against West Indies in Indore in December 2011. Team India won the toss and elected to bat first in the fourth ODI of the five-match series. Sehwag, who somehow could not live up to his potential in white-ball cricket, was in his element against the Windies in Indore.
The right-handed batter clubbed 25 fours and seven sixes in his 208-minute stay at the crease. He never looked in trouble during his double hundred and kept finding the boundaries at will. West Indies possessed a decent bowling attack, which featured Kemar Roach, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, and Sunil Narine. However, none of the bowlers could make any kind of impact on Sehwag, who was in a merciless mood.
The Indian opener was dismissed in the 47th over, looking for another big one. Had he stayed on, Sehwag could have easily reached 250. The skipper's fabulous knock took India to 418, after which the bowlers shone to bundle out West Indies for 265.
#6 Rohit Sharma (208* off 153 vs Sri Lanka)
Rohit brought up his third double hundred in ODIs, smacking an unbeaten 208 off 153 balls against Sri Lanka in December 2017 in the second ODI of a three-match series. Having already hit two double tons before, the Hitman’s third 200-plus score in ODIs came as no surprise.
Sri Lanka sent Team India into bat after winning the toss, a decision they were left to rue. Rohit displayed excellent form from start to finish, striking 13 fours and 12 sixes in his sublime innings. As is the norm with his big knocks, the first half saw him being pretty patient. He needed 115 balls to reach a century.
Rohit was a completely different batter once he crossed three figures. He clubbed Suranga Lakmal for four sixes in one over and raced towards 150. Before Sri Lanka could fathom what had hit them, Rohit brought up his double hundred, hitting a flurry of maximums in the process. The Men in Blue finished on 392/4 before holding Sri Lanka to 251/8.
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