Rohit Sharma turned his Lord's masterpiece into a slice of world-record history. With his hundred in the series-deciding third ODI against England on Sunday, July 19, the 39-year-old became the first batter ever to score eight ODI centuries in a single away country.
The knock — which came amid reports that it could be Rohit's last international match — took his tally of ODI hundreds in England to eight, breaking the previous world record of seven that had been shared by four batting greats. There couldn't have been a better way to answer the retirement chatter.
Most ODI centuries by a batter in a single away country
Rohit now stands alone at the top of this all-time list, ahead of some legendary names.
Player | Country | Host | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rohit Sharma | India | England | 30 | 1567 | 65.29 | 90.78 | 8 |
Quinton de Kock | South Africa | India | 21 | 1085 | 51.66 | 104.52 | 7 |
AB de Villiers | South Africa | India | 20 | 1125 | 70.31 | 113.98 | 7 |
Saeed Anwar | Pakistan | U.A.E. | 51 | 2179 | 45.39 | 84.26 | 7 |
Sachin Tendulkar | India | U.A.E. | 42 | 1778 | 48.05 | 92.79 | 7 |
Chris Gayle | West Indies | India | 23 | 1117 | 53.19 | 94.02 | 6 |
Virat Kohli | India | Bangladesh | 18 | 1097 | 73.13 | 101.57 | 6 |
Rohit Sharma | India | Australia | 33 | 1530 | 56.66 | 89.89 | 6 |
Babar Azam | Pakistan | U.A.E. | 20 | 1119 | 62.16 | 85.22 | 5 |
Sourav Ganguly | India | South Africa | 24 | 1048 | 49.90 | 77.80 | 5 |
Virat Kohli | India | Australia | 32 | 1401 | 50.03 | 88.50 | 5 |
Virat Kohli | India | Sri Lanka | 29 | 1086 | 45.25 | 88.43 | 5 |
Ricky Ponting | Australia | India | 46 | 1736 | 39.45 | 76.10 | 5 |
Ricky Ponting | Australia | South Africa | 32 | 1423 | 50.82 | 88.66 | 5 |
Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | Australia | 48 | 2083 | 46.28 | 83.42 | 5 |
Sachin Tendulkar | India | Sri Lanka | 41 | 1531 | 42.52 | 81.87 | 5 |
The four batters he moved past — Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers (both in India), and Saeed Anwar and Sachin Tendulkar (both in the UAE) — were tied on seven. Rohit now has one more than any of them, and he did it in the toughest away conditions of all.
First overseas batter to 1500 ODI runs in England
The century capped another milestone in the same innings. Earlier in his knock, Rohit had become the first visiting batter to reach 1500 ODI runs in England, needing just 32 balls to knock off the 35 runs required to get there. He now has 1567 runs in the country at an outstanding average of 65.29.
For good measure, Rohit also holds the record for the most ODI runs by any overseas batter in England, sitting clear of the likes of Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson and Ricky Ponting.
Vintage Rohit on a tough Lord's pitch
After two quiet games earlier in the series, Rohit looked close to his best on a testing surface. He first had to survive a sharp new-ball spell from Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson, who both found seam movement and kept things tight. His opening boundary was a touch streaky, but it settled him down.
Once Josh Tongue came into the attack, Rohit shifted gears. He put away anything short or on his pads with his trademark pulls and flicks — including two huge sixes over backward square leg — while also finding the gaps with clever placement rather than brute force.
England has always brought out his best
Much of Rohit's love affair with England was built at the 2019 World Cup, where he was the tournament's leading run-scorer with 648 runs in nine matches at an average of 81, including five centuries. That summer confirmed him as one of the finest white-ball openers in the world.
Now, years later and at 39, he is still rewriting record books on English soil. This latest one came at a crucial time, with reports suggesting the selectors have told him he is no longer in their plans for the 2027 World Cup.
If this really does turn out to be one of his final acts in an India shirt, Rohit could not have picked a grander stage — Lord's — or a better way to remind everyone of his class.
Stay with CricInnings for the full result and every update on Rohit Sharma's future.
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