Daijiworld Media Network - London
London, Jul 20: India captain Rohit Sharma scripted history on Sunday by becoming the batter with the most One-Day International (ODI) centuries in a visiting country, scoring a magnificent hundred at Lord's to keep India in contention in the series-deciding third ODI against England.
The century was Rohit's eighth ODI hundred in England, taking him past Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and placing him at the top of the all-time list for most ODI centuries by a visiting batter in a single country.
The record now stands as:
Rohit Sharma – 8 centuries in England
Sachin Tendulkar – 7 in the UAE
Saeed Anwar – 7 in the UAE
AB de Villiers – 7 in India
Quinton de Kock – 7 in India
The hundred further enhanced Rohit's illustrious ODI career. Among all batters to have played in England, only England's Joe Root, with 10 centuries, has scored more ODI hundreds in the country, while former England opener Marcus Trescothick also has eight.
The landmark innings came at a crucial time for the Indian skipper, who had come under scrutiny after failing to score a fifty-plus knock in his previous eight ODI innings amid speculation over his future. The 39-year-old responded in emphatic fashion, registering his 34th ODI century at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground.
The innings also saw Rohit rewrite several records at the historic venue.
At 39 years and 80 days, he became the oldest batter to score an ODI century at Lord's and the oldest Indian to score an international century across all formats.
More significantly, Rohit became the first Indian batter to register an ODI century at Lord's, surpassing Sourav Ganguly's 90 against England in 2004, which had remained India's highest individual ODI score at the ground for more than two decades.
Rohit reached the milestone in trademark fashion by sweeping England leg-spinner Adil Rashid over the cow corner boundary for four in the 31st over. The Indian dressing room, led by head coach Gautam Gambhir, rose in applause as the opener acknowledged the standing ovation from the Lord's crowd before being warmly embraced by Virat Kohli.
After a cautious start, Rohit gradually accelerated and produced a vintage innings that silenced critics questioning his place in the side following a prolonged lean patch.
Earlier, England posted a formidable 387 for three, the highest ODI total ever recorded at Lord's.
Ben Duckett starred with 141, becoming only the sixth batter to score both Test and ODI centuries at the historic venue. Jacob Bethell contributed 91 as the pair shared a 192-run opening partnership.
Joe Root continued his remarkable consistency, extending his unbeaten tally in the series to 249 runs while becoming the first England batter to record six consecutive ODI scores of fifty or more.
Jos Buttler then hammered an unbeaten 41 off just 13 deliveries as England plundered 63 runs from the final 19 balls of the innings.
The late onslaught also produced the fastest 50-plus partnership against India in ODI history, with Root and Buttler scoring at a run rate of 19.89.