The Familiarity In Each Of ‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma’s 3 ODI Double Tons

Rohit Sharma’s love for the double hundred in One Day International (ODI) cricket has continued to blossom at ease and there is no other player at the moment that can epitomize his wide range of shots that clear the boundary rope so distinctly.
Rohit was at his calm best against Sri Lanka at Mohali in the ongoing ODI series as he did what he does best in accelerating in the latter half. The opening batsman has time and often showed his composure throughout the innings as if he has all the time in the world in the 50-over format, before racing his bat like an athlete to change the scenario completely to stage a massacre against the opposition bowlers.
This has become a familiar tale of Rohit and his third double century once again highlighted the gift he has to bat through an innings unscathed. His unbeaten 208 against Lanka was his third ODI double hundred in a stellar limited-over career and his achievement speaks volumes in the manner he keeps setting world records. Sri Lanka was once again left as a mere spectator on the field seeing the variety in offer from the master batsman.
His third double century also showed a familiar pattern in the manner he sets out and approaches the game. Double tons earlier against Australia and Sri Lanka bode similar characteristics and he has now made it a habit of calling the shots in a manner he deems fit. The 30-year-old Mumbai player helped his side win the 2nd ODI by 141 runs and level the series 1-1.
Rohit’s strike-rate has been phenomenal that shows him using deliveries up till he gets to a fifty and from there on the acceleration starts slowly. Sharma’s decimation of the opposition bowlers mainly escalates when he gets past 150 and from there on he bats like Chris Gayle in T20s, only sending the ball into the crowds. In each of his three double tons, the number of sixes have been mind blowing to show how he is an artist with the bat.
Here is a look at Rohit’s all three double centuries in ODI cricket and how he achieved the feat from taking his time early on to switch gears rapidly.
209 vs Australia: November 3, 2013 –  Rohit smashed his first double ton in the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. It was the 7th ODI match of the series in Australia’s tour of India as the hosts rallied around Sharma and put up a commanding 383 on the board to eventually beat the visitors by 57 runs. Rohit’s six hitting was the moment of the game as he went on to lace 16 of them. His progression was notable after getting to his fifty in 71 balls, he then got to the 100-run mark in 43 deliveries. From there on his strike-rate surged drastically. He took just 26 and 16 deliveries from there on to reach figures of 150 and 200 respectively. His partnerships with Shikhar Dhawan and MS Dhoni were peripheral that helped the team to get to a mammoth score as he batted till 49.3 overs.
264 vs Sri Lanka: November 13, 2014 – A year later after the Aussie juggernaut, Rohit stole the show against Sri Lanka at the historical Eden Gardens. India posted a mammoth 405 runs in the 4th ODI as Sharma’s glaring partnership with Virat Kohli in the middle helped the team seal off a stellar 153-run victory. At the Edens too, Rohit started off in a similar fashion and got to his fifty in 72 balls. This time he took only 28 deliveries to get to his 2nd fifty and bring up his ton. There was a similar approach to his consumption of deliveries from the time he got to his 100. He took 25 and 26 deliveries to get to 150 and 200-run mark. After his double ton, he upped the ante from there on and went on a carnage to get to 250 in just 15 balls. The innings saw 33 fours and 9 sixes. He was out on the final delivery of the 50th over.
208* vs Sri Lanka: December 13, 2017 – Three years and a month later Rohit once again lit up the stands, this time at Mohali. The opening batsman had an added responsibility as the stand-in skipper in the series, but that did not hinder his play. As he remained unbeaten this time around, India once again was in the party mode to strike 392/4 in 50 overs. This time it was Shreyas Iyer who shared the partnership with the Hitman. Rohit’s side then stopped the Lankan chase at just 251 as spectators in Mohali became the lucky ones to witness the carnage this time around. Rohit got to his fifty in 65 balls before keeping up the tempo at run-a-ball to get to the three-figure mark from there on. There was more brutality this time as he took just 36 deliveries in total to get to his double ton from the 100-run mark. Interestingly, it was just 18 balls to 150 and 200. He hit 12 sixes this time around.