Rohit Sharma Career: ODI Double Centuries, Mumbai Indians Captain and T20 World Cup Winner
The complete career of Rohit Sharma — his three ODI double centuries including the world record 264, his transformation into India's Test opener, Mumbai Indians IPL captain, and leading India to the 2024 T20 World Cup title.
Rohit Gurunath Sharma — nicknamed 'The Hitman' — is one of the most gifted batters in cricket history and the only player to have scored three double centuries in ODI cricket. Born in Nagpur in 1987, Rohit spent the early part of his career as an underused middle-order talent before a transformative reinvention as an ODI opener in 2013 unlocked his full potential. He went on to become India's most successful T20I captain, lead Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles, and in 2024, captain India to their first ICC title in 11 years when they won the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States.
The Three ODI Double Centuries
Rohit Sharma is the only batter in cricket history to score more than one ODI double century — and he has three. His 209 against Australia in Bangalore in November 2013 was his first, announcing his transformation from middle-order dasher to ODI opener of global pedigree. His 264 against Sri Lanka in Kolkata in November 2014 is the highest individual score in ODI cricket history, comprising 33 fours and nine sixes in 173 balls — an innings of such extraordinary power and purity that it reset expectations about what was possible in the 50-over format. His 208 not out against Sri Lanka in Mohali in December 2017 completed the unique hat-trick of ODI double hundreds. No other batter in the game's history has scored more than one.
Mumbai Indians: The Five-Title Captain
Rohit Sharma has been the most successful captain in IPL history, leading Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020). His leadership style — calm under pressure, tactically shrewd in the field, and capable of accelerating at will as an opener — made Mumbai Indians the model franchise in the tournament. His partnership with coach Mahela Jayawardene produced a team that could win multiple titles in quick succession. The 2020 IPL title, won in the UAE during the COVID-19 pandemic, was MI's fifth — a record — cementing Rohit's place as the most successful T20 franchise captain in history.
Test Career Transformation and 2024 T20 World Cup
Rohit's Test career was transformed in 2019 when he was promoted to Test opener — a decision that proved decisive. From 2019 onwards, he averaged above 50 as a Test opener and scored multiple centuries in the role. He became India's Test captain in 2022 following Virat Kohli's resignation. As T20I captain, Rohit's record was remarkable: India were unbeaten in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States, winning the title by beating South Africa in a thrilling final in Barbados. It was India's first ICC title since the 2013 Champions Trophy, and Rohit retired from T20 internationals immediately after.
Frequently asked questions
How did Rohit Sharma's move to ODI opener in 2013 transform his cricket career?
Rohit Sharma's move to the ODI opening position in 2013 is one of the most consequential selection decisions in Indian cricket history, transforming a talented but underperforming middle-order batter into one of the game's all-time great openers. Before 2013, Rohit had played 108 ODIs at various positions in the middle order — typically numbers four, five, or six — and averaged approximately 32. These were acceptable numbers for a middle-order batter but not the figures of a consistently match-winning player. The fundamental problem was misalignment between his natural game and his batting position. Rohit's game is built on timing and placement rather than power — he plays the ball extremely late, has exceptional wrist control, and generates boundaries by hitting through the line with minimum effort. These skills are maximised against the new ball: the harder, truer surface means timing the ball through gaps is easier, the field is up, and there are more deliveries in the slot to attack. Placed at number five or six, Rohit was arriving when the ball was older, the pitch had more unpredictable bounce, and the field restrictions were lifted — conditions that neutralised his strengths. The decision to open in the 2013 Champions Trophy home series against Australia was initially treated as an experiment by coach Duncan Fletcher and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The results were immediate and extraordinary. In his first 10 innings as ODI opener, Rohit averaged over 60, and the first ODI double century arrived just a few months later in November 2013. The pattern of performance was clear: given the powerplay overs and the new ball, Rohit's timing-based game produced maximum output. Psychologically, the change also reduced the pressure on Rohit. At number five, he often came in at a difficult juncture with wickets falling and an asking rate building — a position that forced conservative shot selection. Opening, he could build an innings organically from ball one, develop his rhythm, and then accelerate when set. His three ODI double centuries all followed this template: slow, methodical starts in the first 50 balls, then extraordinary acceleration as he found his eye and the fielders tired of chasing boundaries. The same principle applied — with some adaptation — when India moved him to Test opener in 2019. Against the red ball, the adjustment took longer, but his Test average improved significantly from opener compared to his modest middle-order Test returns, confirming that the 2013 ODI decision was a blueprint that had been waiting to be replicated in the longer format.