Ranking Rohit Sharma's 5 best centuries in the ODI World Cup
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma broke several records in his recent effort against Afghanistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday.
Rohit's stellar knock helped India notch two wins out of two matches in the league stage of the tournament and be in fine form ahead of the crunch fixture against arch-rivals Pakistan on Saturday.
From the heartbreaking snub ahead of the 2011 ODI World Cup to leading the nation in the ongoing edition, Rohit has come a long way. He became the player with the most number of hundreds in the competition, and also the fastest Indian batter to reach 1,000 runs in the ODI World Cup.
With atleast seven more matches to go for Team India in the tournament, he could shatter more records and add to an already incredible tally. In 19 innings across three editions, Rohit has scored 1,109 runs at an average of 65.24.
On that note, let us rank Rohit Sharma's five best centuries in the ODI World Cup.
#1 140 (113) vs Pakistan (2019 ODI World Cup; Old Trafford, Manchester)
Rohit Sharma played one of his best ODI innings during Team India's high-octane fixture against their arch-rivals in the 2019 edition of the World Cup. The opening batter took on the Pakistani bowlers in a dominant fashion to score 140 runs off 113 deliveries.
He was on course to convert the knock into something even more special, but was dismissed with 12 overs remaining in the innings.
Rohit shared vital partnerships with KL Rahul and Virat Kohli over the couse of his knock as Team India posted a dominant total of 336-5.
Rohit broke several records, including the highest score by an Indian batter against Pakistan in ODI World Cups.
#2 131 (84) vs Afghanistan (2023 ODI World Cup; Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi)
After recording a duck in Team India's 2023 ODI World Cup opener against Australia, Rohit Sharma made the most of a batting paradise in Delhi to compile a memorable innings.
The record breaking knock saw him become the fastest Indian batter to reach 1,000 runs in ODI World Cups. He also broke the record for the fastest World Cup hundred by an Indian in the tournament, and with the innings being his seventh hundred, he broke Sachin Tendulkar's existing record of six tons in ODI World Cups.
Set a target of 273 by Hashmatullah Shahidi and company, Rohit Sharma got to work straightaway and made the most of the fielding restrictions. He ended up with 16 fours and five sixes, before being dismissed by Rashid Khan.
#3 137 (126) vs Bangladesh (2015 ODI World Cup; Melbourne Cricket Ground)
The 2015 World Cup meant a lot to Rohit Sharma, especially after narrowly missing out on the previous edition. Coming into the tournament as a revamped opening batter, he was hit-and-miss in the league stage of the tournament. He scored two fifties, but also had a string of poor scores to his name as well.
Rohit stepped up to the plate in Team India's quarterfinal clash against Bangladesh. While he might consider himself lucky over the entire 'no-ball' controversy, one cannot take anything away from him regarding the quality and impact of the innnigs.
The right-handed batter had to deal with wickets tumbling at the other end and ended up with 137 runs off 126 deliveries that included 14 fours and three sixes. His knock helped India cross the 300-run mark, a total which they successfully defended the target to progress into the semi-finals.
#4 122* (144) vs South Africa (2019 ODI World Cup; The Rose Bowl, Southampton)
One of Rohit Sharma's innings that has probably gone under the radar is his unbeaten hundred against South Africa in Team India's opening clash of the 2019 ODI World Cup.
Team India's bowling unit had done their work to restrict South Africa to 227-9 in the first innings. Typical English conditions, alongwith a solid Proteas bowling unit made it a tricky chase. Other batters struggled to get going, with the second highest score being MS Dhoni's 34.
Rohit stayed till the end to ensure Team India crossed the line with two and a half overs to spare.
#5 102 (94) vs Bangladesh (2015 ODI World Cup; Edgbaston, Birmingham)
Rohit Sharma had a dream campaign at the 2019 ODI World Cup on an individual level. He ended as the leading run-scorer of the tournament, and the fourth of his five hundreds in the edition came during the league-stage encounter against Bangladesh.
He was in fine touch in the 180-run opening wicket stand with KL Rahul. Rohit hit seven fours and five sixes, but perished right after scoring his century. He and the remainder of the top-order batters ensured India posted a competitive total of 314-9.
Bangladesh compiled a solid attempt to chase down the target, but fell short by 28 runs in the end.
Will the Indian skipper add to his imperious century-tally in the remainder of the 2023 ODI World Cup? Let us know what you think.