As Chris Gayle embarked on his rampage against Zimbabwe, it may have escaped most viewers’ notice that it was exactly five years ago that Sachin Tendulkar broke the magic 200 barrier for the first time.
Sachin Tendulkar, 200 not out v South Africa, Gwalior, Feb 24, 2010
The Little Master produced a dazzling display of top-class strokeplay, facing just 147 balls. He reached his 46th one-day hundred in 90 balls, and rather laboured his way through to the next 100, off 57. Slow by today’s standards. Within his double were 25 fours and three sixes. His placement so perfect, his timing so precise that South Africa were simply blown away, but he was definitely running out of puff at the end, cramping up. MS Dhoni’s pyrotechnics – seven fours and four sixes off 35 balls – ensured the innings ended in a blur at 401-3. South Africa were never really in it, despirte AB de Villiers 114, going down by 115 runs.
Virender Sehwag 219 v West Indies, Indore, Dec 8, 2011
Sehwag blasted his way to the highest score in one-day international cricket with a remorseless display. His first hundred took 69 balls, the second 71. Sehwag broke Tendulkar’s record of 200 in the 44th over, with a fierce cut to the rope at third man. He eventually fell for 219, including 25 fours and seven sixes in 149 balls. India ended with a massive 418 for five and ran out winners by 153 runs. The margin of West Indies’ defeat would have been even bigger had it not been for a plucky 96 from Ramdin, after they slumped to 168 for eight.
Rohit Sharma, 209 v Australia, Bangalore, Nov 2, 2013
Impressive, but in such a run-fest, Rohit Sharma’s 209 is downgraded by the fact that it was at the tiny Chinnaswamy Stadium on a perfect pitch when sixes rained down like a monsoon storm. Sharma hit a then world record 16 in his innings, and the other batsmen three as India reached 383. Australia replied with 326 Together they smashed the record for the most sixes in a one-day international: a whacking 38. And 29 balls remained unused. Rohit had a bit of luck too, when on 120 he was dropped at deep square leg. Rohit had gone past 100 off 114 balls. And then he went past 200 off his 156th. He and MS Dhoni plundered 167 runs off 94 balls for the fifth wicket. India scored 151 in the last ten overs, of which 101 came in the last five.
Rohit Sharma, 264 v Sri Lanka, Kolkata, Nov 13, 2014
Rohit Sharma was kept scoreless by Angelo Mathews’ maiden. By the end of the innings there was no shot he had not played. He broke the highest score record by 45 runs. His first 100 were positiviley pedestrian, coming off 100 balls. The next 164 runs came off 73. His innings included 33 fours and just nine sixes. Agonisingly for Sri Lanka was the fact that he had edged comfortably to Thisara Perera at third man, only to be dropped. He had four at the time. He was dropped again on 201. India went on to make 404-5 (Sharma caught off the last ball of the innings) and beat Sri Lanka by 153.
Chris Gayle 215 v Zimbabwe, Canberra, Feb 24, 2015
Five years on from Tendulkar, Gayle went on the rampage against Zimbabwe. he survived a close lbw call early in his innings and went on to hammer 16 sixes and 10 fours… a total of 136 runs without taking more than two steps at a time. It was his first ODI century for 19 months, but he did it in style, the 215 coming off 147 valls at a strike rate of 146.25. The 372-run stand between Gayle and Marlon Samuels was the most ever for any wicket in ODIs, not to mention Gayle having matched the sixes record. Two two batsmen took 152 off the last 10 overs, and Gayle was caught off the last ball of the innings, offering the Zimbabweans a target of 373.
