Rohit Sharma: 264 ODI, Three ODI Double Centuries, and India's T20 World Cup Captain
Rohit Gurunath Sharma was born on 30 April 1987 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. He played 67 Tests (2013–2024), scoring 4,301 runs at 40.57. He played 267 ODIs (as of 2024), scoring 10,709 runs at 49.79 — the second-highest among active Indian ODI batsmen after Virat Kohli. He is the only batsman in ODI history to score three double centuries: 209 vs Australia (2013), 264 vs Sri Lanka (2014, the highest individual ODI score in history), and 208* vs Sri Lanka (2017). He captained India to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 title. He opened the batting in Tests from 2019, averaging 53.11 as an opener (vs 37.1 as a middle-order batsman). He announced his T20I retirement on 29 June 2024 after the T20 World Cup Final.
Rohit Gurunath Sharma was born on 30 April 1987 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. He made his ODI debut against Ireland in June 2007 and played 267 ODIs (as of 2024), scoring 10,709 runs at 49.79. He is the only batsman to score three ODI double centuries. He captained India to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 title and announced his T20I retirement after the final. He holds the record for the highest individual score in ODI history: 264 vs Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on 13 November 2014.
264 vs Sri Lanka: The Highest ODI Score
On 13 November 2014 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Rohit Sharma scored 264 from 173 balls against Sri Lanka in the 4th ODI — the highest individual score in ODI history, surpassing Martin Guptill's 237* (2015 WC quarter-final — this score came before Guptill's). India scored 404/5; Sri Lanka scored 251/8. Rohit hit 33 fours and 9 sixes. His second double century — 209 vs Australia in Bangalore (2013) — and third — 208* vs Sri Lanka in Mohali (2017) — make him the only batsman in ODI history to score three double centuries. His 264 has stood for over 10 years as the ODI record.
From Middle Order to Test Opener: The 2019 Transformation
Rohit Sharma's Test career had two distinct phases. From 2013 to 2019, he batted in the middle order (typically number 5 or 6) and averaged 37.1 in Tests — competent but not elite. In 2019, India promoted him to open the batting in the Test series against South Africa; from September 2019 to 2024, batting at number 1 or 2, his Test average was 53.11 — a 16-average-point improvement. The transformation is one of the clearest examples of positional impact in Test batting: Rohit's technique was better suited to the new ball (flat-batted drives, dominant pull shot) than to the middle-order conditions he had batted in. His 176 vs South Africa at Ranchi (October 2019) — his first Test as opener — confirmed the move.
Frequently asked questions
Why has Rohit Sharma been able to score three ODI double centuries when no other batsman has scored more than one?
Rohit Sharma's three ODI double centuries — 209 (Australia, 2013), 264 (Sri Lanka, 2014), 208* (Sri Lanka, 2017) — all at home in India — reflect a specific combination of technical and contextual factors that have not been replicated by any other batsman. The technical foundation: Rohit's batting is based on a flat-bat, high-elbow technique that allows him to play straight or across the line with equal control. His pull shot is played from height — he gets into position early and plays the ball on the way up rather than the way down, giving him more time than batsmen who play the pull later. The contextual factors: all three double centuries were scored in India (Eden Gardens, Bangalore, Mohali), on subcontinental pitches that are typically flat and low-bouncing after the first 20 overs, against Sri Lanka (twice) and Australia. The two Sri Lanka attacks in 2014 and 2017 were not at their peak quality; the 2013 Australian attack was without Mitchell Johnson (injured). The analytical question is whether these three scores reflect exceptional talent or exceptional conditions. The answer is both: Rohit's 264 at Eden Gardens in 2014 included phases where the bowling was ordinary, but also phases (early innings, new ball from Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Pradeep) where he hit through quality pace. His six-hitting (9 sixes in 264) is the record for any ODI innings — each six requiring the ability to clear a boundary while batting in the 170s, 190s, and 220s. The psychological endurance required to bat to 264 in a 50-over format — where dismissal ends the innings — is the most underestimated element of the triple-double-century achievement.