The Indian opener has been in good form in the 50-over format recently.
The demons of India’s Test cricket have been put to rest temporarily by the might of Rohit Sharma. The former Indian skipper has added another milestone to his already existing ones in the ongoing ODI series between India and South Africa. The milestone sets him up with two of the greatest names in Indian cricket – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma.
Rohit Sharma has become the fourth Indian player to scale 20,000 international runs across formats, only behind the three other stalwarts. The Mumbai Indians (MI) opener had started the three-match ODI series being short of the 20,000-run mark by a mere 98 runs. However, the Indian opener has breached the milestone in the third ODI at Visakhapatnam.
It was way back in 2013 when MS Dhoni asked Rohit Sharma to open the batting for India in their first match of the ICC Champions Trophy against the same opposition. Since then, it has been a fairy tale for the former Indian skipper, who has gone on to achieve some stupendous milestones. Rohit has three double-centuries to his name in the 50-over format, which is a record in itself.
There’s something about watching Rohit Sharma bat. Many experts have laid emphasis on the fact that the batter from Mumbai has a lot of time on his hands. While other batters are seen playing on wickets which rush them due to the pace, Rohit Sharma always seems to have that extra second in order to react to the ball. It has got a lot to do with the kind of positions he gets into.
The fact that Rohit Sharma scales this tremendous milestone does not come as a surprise after looking at the longevity of his career. Throughout his career, the 38-year-old has played multiple roles for the team, the most important of which has been his leadership in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, which India ended up losing to Australia in the Final.
There has been a lot of talk surrounding his involvement in the ICC ODI World Cup in 2027. Though there has been no official confirmation from the BCCI or the player’s end, the whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be able to stand the test of time is an ongoing debate. Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar had made it abundantly clear that the call would be taken at a later stage and that it is way too early to be thinking about the mega-event in 2027.
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| Player | Runs |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 34,357 |
| Virat Kohli | 27,910* |
| Rahul Dravid | 24,064 |
| Rohit Sharma | 20,000* |
| Sourav Ganguly | 18,433 |
Note: This piece was published when India’s score was 63/0 in 14 overs, chasing 271 in the 3rd ODI at Visakhapatnam. Rohit Sharma got to the milestone when he reached the 27-run mark in the match, and at the same time, Yashasvi Jaiswal was playing on 26 off 51 balls.
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