World Cup 2019: Rohit Sharma becomes the first Indian with four centuries in a single edition of the World Cup
What’s the story?
Indian opener Rohit Sharma, with his century (104) against Bangladesh became the first Indian to score four centuries in a single World Cup edition, breaking Sourav Ganguly's record of three centuries at the 2003 World Cup.
Rohit also equaled Kumar Sangakkara's 2015 record of most centuries in a single edition of a World Cup.
In case you didn’t know…
Sourav Ganguly, with 465 runs, had the second most runs at the 2003 World Cup behind his teammate Sachin Tendulkar (673 runs) who still holds the record for most runs scored in a single edition of the World Cup.
On the other hand, Kumar Sangakkara had notched up four consecutive centuries, still an ODI record, at the 2015 World Cup.
The heart of the matter
Coming into the game after their first defeat of the tournament against England, the Indian batting had been subject to heavy criticism. They had to showcase a dominant batting display to set the naysayers right and prove that the defeat against England was an isolated incident for the formidable Indian side.
Virat Kohli won the toss, and decided to bat first on a flat Birmingham track. A forgettable day in the field for Bangladesh gave Rohit his first respite when he was dropped on 9 by Tamim Iqbal off the bowling of Musatafizur Rahman.
Rohit made sure to use the chance he was given to score his second consecutive and fourth overall hundred of the tournament. He was soon dismissed for a 92-ball 104, courtesy of which he climbed to the top of the run scorers' charts with 544 runs from seven matches in the ongoing World Cup.
What’s next?
With an opening partnership of 180 runs with K.L.Rahul in almost 30 overs, the opening batsmen set a tone for Virat Kohli and the middle order to take India past 350. With a high score in the offing, India could be backing themselves to seal a win and claim a spot in the semi-finals.
Also read – Most runs for tenth wicket in world cup
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