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On December 13, 2017: Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma etched his name in the history books by becoming the first-ever cricketer to hit three double centuries in ODI cricket. The historic feat was achieved against Sri Lanka in the second ODI played in Mohali. Rohit, who remained unbeaten on 208, showcased his extraordinary skills with the bat and played a captain’s knock, smashing boundaries and sixes at every corner of the ground. This was his second double-century against Sri Lanka, having previously scored a record-breaking 264 in Kolkata in 2014.
His last double hundred, 264 at the Eden Gardens three years ago, had also come against Sri Lanka while the maiden one (209) was recorded against Australia at Bengaluru in 2013. Well, double centuries are always special and scoring three double centuries in ODIs makes him a giant in white ball cricket. Losing the toss, India was sent to bat first. However, India got off to a flying start with Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan putting on a solid 115-run partnership. While Dhawan departed after a quickfire 68, Rohit continued to dominate the Sri Lankan bowlers.
Rohit brought up his century from115 balls, He then accelerated his innings and soon surpassed the 200-run mark. His unbeaten knock of 208, which included 13 fours and 12 sixes, powered India to a mammoth total of 392 runs. It was raining boundaries in the last 10 overs where India added as many as 147 for the loss of three wickets. One such instance was the 43rd over when Rohit smashed Lakmal for four sixes off four legal balls in an over that went for 26 runs.
Sri Lanka, chasing a daunting target, faced a tough task. Despite a century from Angelo Mathews, who remained unbeaten on 111, the Sri Lankan team fell short, managing to score only 251 runs. Yuzvendra Chahal was the pick of the Indian bowlers, claiming three wickets. Rohit Sharma’s magnificent innings also earned him the Player of the Match award, as India secured a convincing 141-run victory. This innings from Rohit Sharma back in 2017 cemented his place as one of the greatest ODI batters of all time.
