Image Source: ANI
[Saba Sports News] India skipper Rohit Sharma made a stunning return to One Day Internationals with a brilliant performance against Sri Lanka. The Indian opener not only gave his team a solid start but also equaled Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 58 scores of 50 or more as an opener in ODIs.
In India’s first ODI since their World Cup final appearance in November 2023, the match at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo saw the return of senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul.
Sri Lanka won the toss and set a target of 231 runs for India. Rohit displayed his aggressive batting style right from the start, hitting a six off the second ball of the innings and scoring 14 runs off debutant Mohamed Shiraz in the fourth over.
He reached his half-century in just 33 balls with a slog-sweep for six off Akila Dananjaya and eventually scored 58 runs off 47 deliveries, including seven boundaries and three sixes.
This innings saw Rohit achieve several milestones. He matched Tendulkar’s record of 120 scores of 50 or more as an opener across all international formats, placing him in an elite group of openers. He also surpassed the 15,000-run mark as an opener in international cricket, becoming the tenth player to do so, and reached 1000 fours in ODI cricket, joining a select group of 13 players.
Additionally, he overtook Eoin Morgan to become the captain with the most sixes across all formats, with a total of 234 maximums.