Kolkata: India have all the reasons to feel good about batting ahead of their upcoming tour of Australia after Rohit Sharma, playing his first international match since August on account of finger and shoulder injuries, scored his second double hundred (264 run in 173 balls, 33x4s, 9x6s) to help India to 404/5 in the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on Thursday.
Rohit Sharma, after becoming the first batsman to score two double hundreds, also broke Virender Sehwag’s record of highest individual score of 219 and He went on to say that a batsman of Rohit Sharma’s nature could be India’s “X-factor” in next year’s World Cup.
Rohit Sharma had plenty of support from Kohli (66 off 64 balls, 33rd fifty), after Ajinkya Rahane and Ambati Rayudu contributed 28 and 8 respectively, and both added 202 in 25.5 over.
Kohli’s run-out, resultant of a misunderstanding on the second run was the only blemish of that partnership.
At the end of a frenetic passage of play, Rohit Sharma said he would have liked to bat another 50 overs if he could. “Once I got to 50, I knew I had to come good and we know even 350 are chaseable under lights here.
I converted 100 into 150 and 200, then 250,” he said, breaking into a little chuckle and he spoke of his love for the Eden Gardens that turned 150 this year.
