Rohit Sharma Explained: The Hitman, Three Double Centuries and T20 World Cup 2024
Rohit Sharma's career — India's T20 World Cup-winning captain who retired in 2025, the only batsman to score three ODI double centuries (264 vs Sri Lanka 2014, 209 vs Australia 2013, 208* vs Sri Lanka 2017), his reinvention as a Test opener, and the 2024 T20 World Cup win vs South Africa.
Rohit Sharma (born 1987, Mumbai) is India's most successful limited-overs captain and the only batsman in cricket history to score three ODI double centuries. His career is defined by two phases: a middle-order batsman who had inconsistent Test form (2013-2019) and an opener who transformed India's Test batting across all conditions (2019-2024). His ODI record as an opener — 7 hundreds from the number 1 position — contrasts with 0 hundreds as a middle-order ODI batsman (suggesting the opening position suited his natural game dramatically). As India's T20I captain, he led India to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 title — India's first global T20 title since 2007.
The Three Double Centuries
No batsman in ODI history has scored more than one double century — except Rohit Sharma, who has scored three: (1) 209 vs Australia at Bangalore (November 2013) — first ODI 200+ by an Indian; (2) 264 vs Sri Lanka at Kolkata (November 2014) — the highest individual score in ODI history; (3) 208* vs Sri Lanka at Mohali (December 2017). The 264 (off 173 balls, with 33 fours and 9 sixes) included a six over the top of the Wisden-standard net behind the boundary — the ball was estimated to travel 110+ metres. It remains the highest score in ODI cricket history. Rohit's double centuries share a common pattern: all were scored in India (Eden Gardens, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Punjab Cricket Association) in conditions where India batted first against subcontinent opposition on flat, batting-friendly pitches. This contextual note does not diminish the performances but helps understand the statistical outlier.
Reinvention as a Test Opener
Rohit's Test career until 2019 was characterised by high scores at number 5-6 in home conditions but inconsistency overseas. In 2019, under Virat Kohli's captaincy, Rohit was promoted to open the batting in Tests — an experiment suggested by India's batting coach Vikram Rathour. The results were remarkable: 529 runs from 5 innings in the South Africa home series (2019), including 3 hundreds in the series as an opener. His overseas record as a Test opener improved significantly — he scored hundreds in England in 2021 (at The Oval) — though overseas averaging remained below his home average. By 2022, Rohit was appointed Test captain alongside ODI and T20I captaincy, making him India's captain across all three formats simultaneously.
Captaincy Record and Legacy
Rohit's ODI captaincy record: led India ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy; guided India to the 2023 ODI World Cup Final (10-match unbeaten run before the Final vs Australia). His T20I captaincy: won the 2024 T20 World Cup. Test captaincy: approximately 60% win rate from 18 Tests captaining India (2022-2024) including a Test series win in South Africa (first ever) and South Africa tour. Rohit's legacy in Indian cricket is the batting role he validated — opening the batting aggressively in Tests — and the leadership approach that prioritised player autonomy (he publicly supported rest and rotation of players more than Kohli's mandatory availability expectations). His retirement from T20Is marked the end of an era for that format; India subsequently won the 2025 Champions Trophy and 2026 T20 World Cup in the next generation's hands.
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest individual score in ODI cricket?
264 — Rohit Sharma (India) vs Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, 13 November 2014. He scored 264 off 173 balls (33 fours, 9 sixes). This remains the highest individual score in any ODI match. Rohit is also the only batsman to score three ODI double centuries (209, 264, and 208* — all against Sri Lanka or Australia in India between 2013-2017).
When did India win the 2024 T20 World Cup?
29 June 2024 — India vs South Africa Final in Barbados (West Indies). India batted first and scored 176/4 (Kohli 76, Axar Patel 47*); South Africa chased 177 but were bowled out for 169, losing by 7 runs. It was India's first T20 World Cup title since 2007 and Rohit Sharma's captaincy highlight. Immediately after the win, Rohit, Kohli, and Jadeja all announced their T20I retirements — marking a generational transition in Indian T20 cricket.
Why was Rohit Sharma moved to open the batting in Tests?
In 2019, India's batting coach Vikram Rathour and captain Virat Kohli experimented with Rohit opening the batting in the home series vs South Africa. The experiment was motivated by Rohit's ODI opening success (7 hundreds from number 1 position vs 0 from the middle order) and his naturally aggressive, attacking approach to facing new-ball bowling. The results were immediate: 529 runs from 5 innings in the South Africa series. The move transformed Rohit from an inconsistent Test middle-order batsman to one of India's most reliable Test openers.