Rohit Sharma: 264 ODI World Record, 29 Test Centuries, and India's Modern Opener
Rohit Gurunath Sharma played 67 Tests for India between 2013 and 2024, scoring 4,301 runs at 40.20 with 12 centuries. He is India's Test opening batter from 2019. In ODIs he scored 10,709 runs at 49.57 with 31 centuries, including 264 not out against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens on 13 November 2014 — the highest individual score in ODI history. He scored 3 ODI centuries in the 2019 World Cup group stage (vs South Africa, Pakistan, England). He captained India to the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup title.
Rohit Sharma played 67 Tests for India between 2013 and 2024, scoring 4,301 runs at 40.20 with 12 centuries. In ODIs he scored 10,709 runs at 49.57 with 31 centuries from 260 matches. He was promoted to open in Test cricket by Virat Kohli in the 2019 home series against South Africa, and his Test average as opener (approximately 45) was markedly higher than his middle-order average (approximately 32).
264 Not Out: ODI World Record
On 13 November 2014 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Rohit Sharma scored 264 not out against Sri Lanka in the second ODI of the series. He faced 173 balls, hitting 33 fours and 9 sixes. India scored 404/5; Sri Lanka replied with 251, losing by 153 runs. The innings surpassed Martin Guptill's 237 not out (previously 264 not out scored in ODI — actually Guptill scored 237* later in 2015; at the time Rohit's 264 surpassed his own previous record of 209, which had been the ODI record). Rohit had previously scored 209 against Australia in 2013 — making him the first batter to score two ODI double-centuries. Guptill's 237 in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final against West Indies would come later.
2019 World Cup: Three Group-Stage Centuries
In the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup group stage in England, Rohit Sharma scored five centuries — the most in a single World Cup by any batter. Three came in back-to-back-to-back matches: 122 vs South Africa (5 Jun), 140 vs Pakistan (16 Jun), 102 vs England (30 Jun). He also scored 104 vs Bangladesh and 44 vs Afghanistan. India were knocked out in the semi-final by New Zealand in a rain-affected match at Manchester.
Captaining India to the 2024 T20 WC
Rohit Sharma captained India to the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup title in the West Indies and USA — India's first T20 WC win since 2007. The final was held in Barbados, where India defeated South Africa by 7 runs. Rohit himself scored a 41-ball 57 in the final. He retired from T20Is immediately after the tournament.
Frequently asked questions
How does Rohit Sharma's 264 not out analytically compare to the next highest ODI scores — Martin Guptill's 237* (2015 WC) and Sachin Tendulkar's 200* (2010) — and what does the structural difference between Rohit's three ODI double-centuries and any other batter's career (nobody else has scored even two) reveal about his specific ability to bat long in the 50-over format?
Rohit's three ODI double-centuries (209 vs Australia 2013, 264 vs Sri Lanka 2014, 208* vs Sri Lanka 2017) are statistically unprecedented — no other batter in ODI history has scored more than one. The comparison: Rohit 264 (173 balls, 33 fours, 9 sixes). Guptill 237 (163 balls, 24 fours, 11 sixes — 2015 WC quarter-final vs West Indies). Tendulkar 200 (147 balls, 25 fours, 3 sixes — 2010 vs SA). The analytical dimension: what separates 200+ innings from 150-199 innings is not peak scoring rate (Rohit's strike rate at 152 for 264 is comparable to his scoring rate in 150-run innings) but batting longevity — the ability to bat for 150+ balls without getting out while maintaining a scoring rate above 130. The structural factors enabling this: (1) Against lower-ranked bowling attacks — Rohit's three doubles all came against Sri Lanka or Australia in bilateral series rather than World Cup knockouts; (2) Eden Gardens and Holkar Stadium (Indore, for the 2017 208*) are flat-surface venues with short boundaries; (3) When Rohit is at the crease 150+ balls, the statistical record suggests he is more likely to convert to a large score than other batters — this is the 'getting set is harder, once set you accelerate' pattern, which is characteristic of technically correct batters who rarely play rash shots early and whose shot selection improves with time at the crease.