Rohit Sharma ends ODI century drought: 3 modern-day greats with huge gaps between One-Day tons
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma scored his first ODI century in more than 1,100 days as the Men in Blue beat New Zealand by 90 runs in the third of the three-match series in Indore on Tuesday, January 24.
The win helped India clinch a 3-0 clean sweep over the depleted Kiwis — who were missing the likes of Kane Williamson, Trent Boult and Tim Southee — and become the top-ranked side in the format.
Rohit Sharma, along with opening partner Shubman Gill, laid the platform for the win, with each scoring centuries to forge a 212-run opening stand. It was Rohit Sharma's 30th century in the format.
The Indian management will be delighted with Rohit Sharma finally getting a three-figure score as they approach the World Cup at home later this year.
With 'The Hitman' finally finding form, the Indian batting line-up looks well settled, with the top five — Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul — in fine form.
On that note, let us take a look at three players who had a significant gap between two ODI centuries.
#1 Virat Kohli, 3rd ODI vs Bangladesh, December 2022 (1,214 Days)
Arguably the greatest ODI batsman of the modern era, it had been over 3 years since Virat Kohli scored an ODI ton when . Having returned to form with a tremendous Asia Cup and World T20, 'King Kohli' looked to reclaim his crown in ODI cricket as India took on Bangladesh in a three-match series.
Kohli was dismissed cheaply in the first two matches, which India ended up losing. In the third match, however, the former Indian skipper scored 113 off 91 balls to notch his 44th ODI century. Ishan Kishan's double century and Kohli's ton propelled India to a 227-run win to end the series on a victorious note.
#3 David Warner, 3rd ODI vs England, November 2022 (1,043 days)
David Warner had also suffered a dip in form since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. After almost three years without a century, the southpaw scored his 19th ODI century in the third of a three-match series against England to ensure Australia whitewashed their arch-rivals in November 2022.
Warner scored 106 off 102 balls and shared a 269-run opening partnership with Travis Head (152), helping Australia record a thumping 221-run win.
#2 Steve Smith, 3rd ODI vs New Zealand, September 2022 (651 Days)
Another member of the 'Fab 4', Steve Smith had not scored an ODI century in almost two years when Australia took on New Zealand in a three-match series in September 2022.
However, the Australian talisman ended his drought with his 12th ODI century when his team needed it the most on a tricky wicket in the third match in Cairns.
Smith was patient early on as he scored just six runs in his first 30 balls against a potent Kiwi attack comprising Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson and Mitchell Santner. He ended up scoring 105 runs off 131 balls to help Australia reach a total of 267, which the hosts defended with 25 runs to spare and seal a 3-0 whitewash.