Rohit Sharma etched his name into the cricket record books on Sunday by becoming the batsman with the most ODI centuries in a visiting country, producing a magnificent hundred at Lord’s that helped India stay alive in the series-deciding third ODI against England.The landmark knock was Rohit’s eighth ODI century in England, taking him past Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar and placing him alone at the top of an elite all-time list.
Most ODI hundreds in a visiting country
- Rohit Sharma – 8 years in England
- Sachin Tendulkar – 7 in UAE
- Saeed Anwar – 7 in UAE
- AB de Villiers – 7 in India
- Quinton de Kock – 7 in India
The century was another notable addition to Rohit’s glittering ODI legacy. Among all England batsmen, only Joe Root (10) has scored more ODI hundreds in the country, while former England opener Marcus Trescothick also has eight.Under intense scrutiny after failing to register a fifty-plus score in his previous eight ODI innings and amid speculation about his future, the 39-year-old responded in the most emphatic way with his 34th ODI century at the Home of Cricket.
Lord’s joins Rohit’s long list of milestones
The innings also saw Rohit re-write several records at the iconic venue.At 39 years and 80 days, he became the oldest batsman to score an ODI century at Lord’s and also the oldest Indian to score an international century in all formats.More significantly, Rohit became the first Indian batsman to score an ODI hundred at Lord’s, surpassing Sourav Ganguly’s 90 against England in 2004, which had been India’s highest individual ODI score at the venue for over two decades.The milestone came in Rohit’s trademark style. Facing Adil Rashid in the 31st over, the Indian opener swept a flighted delivery over the cow corner for four to bring up his century. When the ball raced to the boundary, the entire Indian dressing room, including head coach Gautam Gambhir, burst into applause. Rohit acknowledged the standing ovation from the packed Lord’s crowd before receiving a warm hug from Virat Kohli.It was a measured innings that started cautiously before blossoming into vintage Rohit strokeplay, silencing critics who had questioned his place after a long lean run.
England amass a record total before Rohit’s reply
Earlier, England had posted a 387/3, the highest ODI total ever recorded at Lord’s.Ben Duckett played a brilliant 141 to become only the sixth batsman to score Test and ODI centuries at Lord’s, while Jacob Bethell made 91 during a 192-run opening partnership.Joe Root continued his extraordinary consistency, extending his unbeaten streak in the series to 249 runs while becoming the first English batsman to register six consecutive fifty-plus ODI scores. Jos Buttler then hit an unbeaten 41 off just 13 deliveries as England plundered 63 runs off the last 19 balls.The late blitz also produced the fastest 50-over partnership against India in ODI history, with Root and Buttler scoring at a rate of 19.89.