Highest Individual Scores in ODI Cricket
The highest individual innings in ODI cricket history — Rohit Sharma's world record 264, other double-century innings, what conditions and opposition enabled these record-breaking performances, why ODI individual scoring records are harder to achieve than T20 records despite the longer format, and how the evolution of batting technique and pitch preparation has enabled scores that were considered impossible in earlier decades.
Rohit Sharma's Record 264
Rohit Sharma (India) scored 264 off 173 balls against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on 13 November 2014 — the highest individual score in ODI cricket history. The innings featured 33 fours and 9 sixes. India scored 404 for 5 in their 50 overs; Sri Lanka replied with 251 all out. The conditions: a flat Eden Gardens pitch, a relatively inexperienced Sri Lanka bowling attack, and perfect weather. Sharma had already hit 209 against Australia in 2013 (then an ODI record for an Indian) and had scored 264 against the same Sri Lanka team in 2014 in a completely dominant batting performance that had the opposition bowling attack unable to contain him after the 40th over. The innings required Rohit to be disciplined early (50 from 60 balls) and then accelerate dramatically — his last 214 runs came from 113 balls.
Other Double Centuries
ODI cricket has seen five double centuries in its history — all scored after 2010, reflecting improved pitches, bats, and batting technique. Martin Guptill (New Zealand, 237 not out vs West Indies, 2015 World Cup quarter-final), Virendra Sehwag (India, 219 vs West Indies, 2011), Rohit Sharma (India, 209 vs Australia, 2013), Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan, 210 not out vs Zimbabwe, 2018), and Rohit Sharma again (264 vs Sri Lanka, 2014). The concentration of doubles in this period reflects: the evolution of batting technique to attack from ball 1, the preparation of flatter pitches for more entertaining games, and the improvement of batting equipment (wider edges, larger sweet spots) that converts edges and miscues into boundaries that earlier bats would have dampened.
Why ODI Records Are Hard to Achieve
Individual ODI records are harder to achieve than T20 records because the longer format's tactical context typically works against unconstrained individual scoring. In a 50-over format, a batsman at 150 off 100 balls with 15 overs remaining must continue batting — they cannot hand the strike to another high-scorer as easily as in T20. Additionally, the 50-over format allows the fielding captain to use specialist bowling for longer spells with more tactical adjustment — by over 40, the captain knows the batsman's weaknesses and has had 40 overs to exploit them. A 200+ ODI score requires not just sustained hitting (the physical challenge) but surviving 40+ overs of varied bowling, field adjustments, and fatigue management — a more complete challenge than a 90-ball T20 innings.
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest individual score in Test cricket compared to ODIs?
Test cricket's highest individual score is 400 not out, scored by Brian Lara (West Indies) against England at Antigua in April 2004 — surpassing his own previous record of 375 not out and Gary Sobers' record of 365 not out. The Test record is 136 runs higher than the ODI record (264), reflecting the Test format's unlimited overs: in Tests, a batsman can theoretically face unlimited deliveries and continue scoring as long as they are not dismissed. The ODI record is naturally constrained by the 50-over maximum — no batsman can face more than 300 balls in an ODI, making an astronomical total impossible. The T20I individual record is significantly lower again (around 162 not out in elite competition), reflecting the shorter format.
Which country has produced the most 150+ individual ODI scores?
India has produced the most 150+ ODI scores — significantly so, reflecting a combination of India's batting quality, their high frequency of ODIs played, and the flat, high-scoring pitches at Indian venues. Indian batsmen who have scored 150+ in ODIs include Rohit Sharma (multiple times, including the world record 264), Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, and Shikhar Dhawan. England has also produced multiple 150+ scores since the 2016 white-ball revolution under Eoin Morgan's captaincy (Jos Buttler has scored 150+ multiple times). The batting approach England adopted — unrestricted attack from ball 1 regardless of wickets lost — created conditions for high individual scores by removing the need for batsmen to 'save themselves' for the later overs.
What is the highest individual score in a World Cup ODI?
Martin Guptill's 237 not out (New Zealand vs West Indies, 2015 World Cup quarter-final) is the highest individual score in a World Cup match. The next highest is Rohit Sharma's 122 (India vs South Africa, 2015 World Cup group stage). World Cup individual records are rarer than regular bilateral ODI records partly because World Cup pitches are typically prepared to be more competitive (not purely flat, to ensure competitive matches between potentially mismatched nations) and because knockout-format pressure typically produces more conservative batting. The 2015 World Cup in Australia/New Zealand on generally flat pitches produced a disproportionate number of high individual and team scores compared to other World Cup editions.