Rohit Sharma became the third Indian to score 12,000 runs in men's ODIs on Wednesday. He joined Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli in this elite club. Rohit reached the milestone in his 282nd innings. He scored 101 runs off 75 balls, helping India chase a target of 406 against West Indies.
Rohit Sharma on Wednesday became the third Indian to score 12,000 runs in men's ODIs joining Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli in the elite club. He is the seventh batsman overall to go past the mark and the third fastest overall in terms of innings, only behind his longtime teammate Kohli. Rohit reached the milestone in his 282nd innings while Kohli had got there in his 242nd.
Rohit achieved the feat with a single off Roston Chase in the 16th over. He went on to score his 35th ODI century and was eventually dismissed on 101 off just 75 balls. Rohit fell after putting up a mammoth 255-run stand with captain Shubman Gill, with India making a mockery of the target of 406 that the West Indies had set for them at that point.
The 39-year-old Rohit's place in the Indian team has been under some scrutiny, partly because of his somewhat topsy-turvy form and partly due to the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting on the sidelines. Having made his debut in June 2007 in an ODI against Ireland, Rohit has gone on to be recognised among the greatest batsmen of all time in limited overs cricket.
He is the first and thus far only player to have scored a double century more than once in ODI cricket, having done it three times. He also holds the record for the highest score by a player in the format - a 173-ball 264 which he scored against Sri Lanka in November 2014.
Rohit had for long been vice-captain in limited overs to Virat Kohli and finally took over as full-time skipper of the team in December 2021. He led India in the 2023 World Cup that they had hosted. While they almost coasted through to the final and were outright favourites to win it against Australia, the latter ended up dominating the match in Ahmedabad and won their sixth title.
Rohit then led India to victory the next year in the 2024 T20 World Cup and retired from the shortest format along with Kohli. He had taken over as India's Test captain in February 2022. While the team enjoyed significant success under him early on, Rohit's Test career ended with a forgettable tour of Australia for him as batsman and as captain. He ended up dropping himself for the final Test of the series and eventually, announced his retirement from the format later that year in 2024.