Rohit Sharma becomes 2nd fastest batter after Virat Kohli to reach 10k ODI runs
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma became the sixth Indian batter to reach the landmark of 10,000 runs in ODI cricket. The opening batter achieved the feat during the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 Super Four clash against Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday, September 12.
Rohit Sharma was only 22 runs away from the milestone ahead of the match against Sri Lanka. He got closer courtesy of a sublime fifty against Pakistan in Team India's first Asia Cup 2023 Super Four contest at the same venue, on Sunday.
It took Sharma 241 innings to get to the five-digit mark in terms of runs scored in ODI cricket, making him the second-fastest batter in world cricket to achieve the feat. Only Virat Kohli has scored 10,000 runs in the format in fewer innings - 205.
Rohit Sharma did manage to beat Sachin Tendulkar's record of 259 innings to assume the second position in the list among other batters in the world. The Indian skipper's ODI numbers saw a staggering rise since his promotion to the top of the order in 2013.
Playing in the middle order for the first 81 innings of his ODI career, he had only scored 1,978 runs at an average of 30.43. Since 2013, however, he has amassed 7,948 runs in 159 innings at an average of 55.97.
The Hitman also has MS Dhoni's record of 10,599 runs in sight to get into the list of the top five run getters for India in ODI history.
Rohit Sharma in today's match vs Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma began India's innings on an optimistic note by scoring a boundary off the fourth delivery of the first over by Kasun Rajitha. He then focused on rotating the strike with Shubman Gill as Sri Lanka brough in Maheesh Theeksana from the other end.
He reached the landmark with a sublime six down the ground off Kasun Rajitha's bowling in the seventh over of the innings. He was initially not aware of the milestone, but did raise his bat when it was brought up on the big screen, drawing applause from the modest crowd present at the venue.
As of writing, Team India are placed at 49-0 after nine overs, with both batters coasting along smoothly, bringing up 1,000 runs as a pair as well in the process.
How many runs will Rohit Sharma end up with when he finishes his glorious career? Let us know what you think.