Highest Individual Scores in ODI Cricket: The Top Innings

Rohit Sharma: 264 vs Sri Lanka, Kolkata, 2014

Rohit Sharma holds the record for the highest individual innings in ODI cricket history: 264 scored for India against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on 13 November 2014. The innings contained 33 fours and 9 sixes, came off 173 balls, and was made in a 404/5 total — itself the highest team total in ODI cricket at the time. What distinguished the innings was Rohit's ability to accelerate through the final 15 overs after a measured start: his first 100 runs came off 85 balls, his second 100 off 69 balls, and his final 64 off just 19 balls as Sri Lanka's fielding and bowling disintegrated under the pressure. India won by 153 runs.

Martin Guptill: 237* vs West Indies, Wellington, 2015

New Zealand's Martin Guptill scored 237 not out against West Indies in a 2015 World Cup quarter-final at Westpac Stadium, Wellington — the highest score in a Cricket World Cup match and the second-highest individual ODI innings ever. Guptill batted through the entire innings, was never dismissed, and was particularly severe against Chris Gayle's off-spin and the pace of Jason Holder. The innings came during New Zealand's famous 2015 World Cup run — they reached the final before losing to Australia. Guptill never matched that innings again but it remains one of the great all-format batting performances of the 2010s.

Shubman Gill: 208 vs New Zealand, Hyderabad, 2023

Shubman Gill scored 208 against New Zealand in Hyderabad in January 2023 — the third-highest ODI individual score in history and the third time an Indian batsman had scored an ODI double century. At 23 years old, Gill was the youngest player to score an ODI double century at the time of the innings. He faced 149 balls, hit 19 fours and 9 sixes, and accelerated through the back half of the innings as the bowling figures deteriorated. India declared at 349/8.

Sachin Tendulkar: 200* vs South Africa, Gwalior, 2010

Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman in history to score an ODI double century when he made 200 not out against South Africa at Captain Roop Singh Stadium, Gwalior on 24 February 2010. It ended a record that had seemed unassailable — the previous best was 194 not out, held by multiple batsmen. Tendulkar's innings was scored off 147 balls, contained 25 fours and 3 sixes, and was delivered in a way that suggested it could have been 230 had he not run out of overs. India scored 401/3 and won by 153 runs. Rohit Sharma's subsequent 264 means Tendulkar no longer holds the record — but as the first person to break the ODI 200 barrier, the innings retains its historical significance.

Why These Innings Share Common Characteristics

Examining the top ODI innings reveals consistent features: each was scored on a flat, low-bounce pitch suitable for stroke-play; each involved a team batting first with no target pressure; each was completed in the second half of a large total rather than in a record-chasing context; and each involved a batsman known for exceptional timing rather than purely brute power. Rohit, Guptill, and Gill all time the ball rather than hit through the line exclusively — it is the timing that converts a good innings into a historic one by sustaining scoring at 130+ strike rate for extended periods.