Rohit Sharma etched his name into cricket’s record books on Sunday by becoming the batter with the most ODI centuries in a visiting country, producing a magnificent hundred at Lord’s that helped India stay alive in the series-deciding third ODI against England.The landmark knock was Rohit’s eighth ODI century in England, taking him past Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar and placing him alone at the top of an elite all-time list.
Most ODI hundreds in a visiting country
- Rohit Sharma – 8 in England
- Sachin Tendulkar – 7 in UAE
- Saeed Anwar – 7 in UAE
- AB de Villiers – 7 in India
- Quinton de Kock – 7 in India
The century was another remarkable addition to Rohit’s glittering ODI legacy. Among all batters in England, only Joe Root (10) has scored more ODI hundreds in the country, while former England opener Marcus Trescothick also has eight.Coming under intense scrutiny after failing to register a fifty-plus score in his previous eight ODI innings and amid speculation over his future, the 39-year-old responded in the most emphatic fashion with his 34th ODI century at the Home of Cricket.
Lord’s joins Rohit’s long list of milestones
The innings also saw Rohit rewrite several records at the iconic venue.At 39 years and 80 days, he became the oldest batter to score an ODI century at Lord’s and also the oldest Indian to score an international century across all formats.More significantly, Rohit became the first Indian batter to score an ODI hundred at Lord’s, surpassing Sourav Ganguly’s 90 against England in 2004, which had stood as India’s highest individual ODI score at the venue for over two decades.The milestone came in trademark Rohit style. Facing Adil Rashid in the 31st over, the Indian opener swept a flighted delivery over cow corner for four to bring up his century. As the ball raced to the boundary, the entire Indian dressing room, including head coach Gautam Gambhir, rose in applause. Rohit acknowledged the standing ovation from the packed Lord’s crowd before receiving a warm embrace from Virat Kohli.It was a measured innings that began cautiously before blossoming into vintage Rohit strokeplay, silencing critics who had questioned his place after a prolonged lean run.
England pile up record total before Rohit’s response
Earlier, England had posted a daunting 387/3, the highest ODI total ever recorded at Lord’s.Ben Duckett starred with a brilliant 141 to become only the sixth batter to score both Test and ODI centuries at Lord’s, while Jacob Bethell struck 91 during a 192-run opening partnership.Joe Root continued his extraordinary consistency, extending his unbeaten streak in the series to 249 runs while becoming the first England batter to register six successive ODI fifty-plus scores. Jos Buttler then smashed an unbeaten 41 off just 13 deliveries as England plundered 63 runs in the final 19 balls.The late blitz also produced the fastest 50-plus partnership against India in ODI history, with Root and Buttler scoring at a run rate of 19.89.
