Rohit Sharma Sets New Record with Explosive Fifty but India Loses to Sri Lanka in Second ODI

New Delhi: Indian captain Rohit Sharma delivered a dazzling performance in the second ODI against Sri Lanka on August 4, 2024, at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Sharma, who has been in sensational form throughout the series, played a breathtaking innings of 64 runs off 44 balls, featuring five fours and four sixes. His innings included a rapid fifty off just 29 balls, providing a solid start for the Indian team. Sharma’s contribution was further highlighted by a 97-run partnership with Shubman Gill for the first wicket in just 13.3 overs.

In achieving this feat, Sharma surpassed the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 120 fifty-plus scores as an opener in international cricket. Sharma now holds the record with 121 such scores, further cementing his status as one of cricket’s premier openers. This innings marked Sharma’s second fifty of the ongoing three-match ODI series.

Among the list of batters with the most fifty-plus scores as openers, Australian great David Warner leads with 146, followed by West Indies legends Chris Gayle (144) and Sanath Jayasuriya (136), West Indies’ Desmond Haynes (131), and South Africa’s Graeme Smith (125). Sharma’s latest achievement adds another feather to his cap in the world of cricket.

Additionally, Sharma became the first Indian opener to surpass 300 international matches. His four sixes in the second ODI also took his tally of sixes in ODIs to 330, just one short of Chris Gayle’s record of 331. Shahid Afridi of Pakistan holds the record for the most sixes in ODIs.

Sharma’s 64-run innings also propelled him past Rahul Dravid’s record of 10,768 runs in ODIs, making him the fourth-leading run-scorer for India in the 50-over format with a total of 10,831 runs in 264 ODI matches.

Despite Sharma’s remarkable performance, India faced a setback in the match. The team collapsed from a promising 97 for no loss to 208 all out while chasing a modest target of 241 runs. Sri Lanka’s leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay played a pivotal role, taking six wickets and leading his team to a 32-run victory.