On this day, 10 years ago: Rohit Sharma slammed his 1st ever double century against Australia

On November 2, 2013, the cricketing world witnessed an absolute carnage by India’s opening batsman, Rohit Sharma. Hitman scored an astonishing double century against Australia at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, Bengaluru, as he marked his arrival in ODI cricket.

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He went on to become the third batsman to score a double century in ODI cricket. This particular series between India and Australia is on the most cherished bilateral series for the Indian fans. It was an enthralling series decider and Rohit Sharma truly turned up on the occasion as the current India skipper went on to smash the first of his three ODI double centuries. It remains one of the most memorable moments in the history of Indian cricket.

Hitman’s performance was nothing short of extraordinary. He faced 158 balls and scored a staggering 209 runs, including 12 fours and record 16 sixes. This was not just his maiden double century in ODIs, but this score also continues to remain the highest individual ODI score by any batsman against Australia.

The highlight of Sharma’s innings was his record-breaking 16 sixes, which was the the-then most sixes in an ODI match by a player, surpassing Shane Watson’s previous record of 15 sixes in an ODI match.
This record was eventually broken by former England captain Eoin Morgan who went on to smash 17 sixes in his 148-run knock against Afghanistan in Cricket World Cup 2019.

The last 12 overs saw Rohit Sharma unleashing some absolute batting prowess, as he got his final 100 in just 12 overs.

Rohit Sharma’s scintillating knock powered India to 383/6 in 50 overs. The spirited Australian team eventually fell short by 57 runs.
Rohit Sharma’s performance in the series was remarkable throughout as he was the top scorer for India with 491 runs in the series with a staggering average of 122, etching him the player of the series award as well. With this, India pulled off one of the most memorable series win by 3-2 in a 7 match series against Australia. The entire series witnessed an absolute run-fest with nine centuries being scored by both sides in five completed matches.

The master blaster Sachin Tendulkar scored the first ever double century in One day Internationals as he remained unbeaten for 200 against South Africa in Gwalior. India’s explosive batsman Virender Sehwag showcased his batting exploits with 219 against the West Indies in Indore. Rohit Sharma went on to become the third batsman to reach the 200-mark in ODIs.

Rohit Sharma remains the only batsman to score three ODI hundreds so far as, after a double century against Australia, the hitman went on to score 173-ball 264 against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, which continues to be the highest individual score in ODIs. His momentous third double century also came against Sri Lanka at Mohali, where he remained unbeaten for 208 runs.
2022 saw India’s young batsmen Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill achieving this arduous task as they joined the elite 200 club by scoring 210 against Bangladesh and 208 against New Zealand respectively.