Rohit’s record-setting double hundred helps India level series
Mohali: Skipper Rohit Sharma (208 n o, 153b, 13×4, 12×6) gave the perfect second anniversary gift to his wife as he blazed his way to a record-setting third ODI double hundred as the Indians thumped Sri Lanka by 141 runs here Wednesday. India, thus levelled the three-match series 1-1 and will be in a healthy frame of mind to wrap up the series in the next game at Vizag.
Rohit’s template while batting in ODI is simple, very simple indeed. Give the first 10 overs to the bowlers, accumulate runs in the next 30 and then launch a belligerent attack in the last 10 overs. That plan worked to a nicety for him as half of his runs came in the last 10 overs of the innings. It helped India to post a mammoth 392 for four in 50 overs, the 100th time in ODIs, that they have gone past the 300-run mark. Not for nothing is Rohit called ‘Hitman’
Sri Lanka were never in the chase even though former skipper Angelo Mathews (111 n o, 132b, 9×4, 3×6) notched his second ODI hundred. With the asking run rate, creeping over 10 by the 20-over mark, the batsmen were fighting against a losing cause. They capitulated, they had no other option.
While Rohit stole the show with another sensational knock, Shikhar Dhawan (68, 67b, 9×4) and rookie Shreyas Iyer (88, 70b, 9×4, 2×6) played the supporting role to perfection. Dhawan was involved in an opening stand of 115 runs with Rohit and then Iyer put on another 223 runs for the second wicket, to virtually seal the game in India’s favour.
India virtually batted Sri Lanka out of the game by posting the highest total at this ground, surpassing the 351 for five South Africa made against the Netherlands in 2011.
The Sri Lankan bowlers including man of the match in the first game, Suranga Lakmal tried everything in the book, and some outside it to stop the flow. They bowled wide yorkers, low full tosses, slower ones, tried to dig some into the body of the batsmen, but all met the same fate, as Rohit tore into the attack like a sword scythes through butter.
In the process, Rohit became the only batsman to score three double centuries in ODI beating his earlier record of two double hundreds. The others to have got a single double century in ODIs are Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Chris Gayle and Martin Guptill.
The Sri Lanka pacers who had routed India in the first ODI were guilty of offering too many freebies to the Indian batsmen. Lakmal had an off day leaking 71 runs in eight overs while the other pacers, captain Thisara Perera (3/80) and Nuwan Pradeep (0/106), too were guilty of bowling too many low full tosses and half trackers.