Rohit Sharma’s 208 not out guided India to 392-4 in the second ODI against Sri Lanka in Mohali.
This was Sharma’s third ODI double-century and his second against Sri Lanka, in a much-needed knock for the hosts on their mission to bounce back from their humiliating seven-wicket loss in the first ODI.
India’s batting lineup collapsed in the Dharamsala ODI and had to rely on a late surge from MS Dhoni (65 off 87 balls) to help them recover after losing seven wickets for 29 runs to post 112 in their innings. They were comprehensively beaten as Sri Lanka chased down the target in just under 21 overs.
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The second ODI was a complete turnaround and after being removed for two in the previous match, Sharma covered his tracks with an exquisite piece of batting by smashing 12 sixes and 13 fours. His last 27 balls were remarkable: scoring at a strike rate of 341, Sharma hit 92 runs (11 sixes, three fours) compared to the other 116 which scored off 126 balls.
Right-arm seamer, Nuwan Pradeep, in particular, took a brutal beating from Sharma, conceding 67 runs from 32 balls to enter the record books as the second most expensive bowler facing a single batsman. South Africa’s AB de Villiers holds the record for the most, after smashing West Indies fast bowler Jason Holder for 76 runs off 21 balls in Sydney in 2015.
His 115-run partnership with Shikhar Dhawan and 213-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer helped India reach a century of 300-run totals, the highest by any team in ODIs. Australia are second with 96.
Only four other batsmen have achieved the ODI double-century milestone: Chris Gayle, Martin Guptill, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar have one each, while Sharma has now scored three.
Photo: ESPNcricinfo
