Rohit Sharma equals Ricky Ponting's staggering ODI feat with first century in 509 days during India vs New Zealand tie
Rohit Sharma put it all to rest to a stunning century, his first in 509 days, in the third and final ODI match of the series against New Zealand at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Tuesday, which helped him equal former Australia captain Ricky Ponting's staggering ODI feat.
It was as long a drought as that of Virat Kohli, but by Rohit Sharma's standard, especially in the white-ball format, the discussion around the gap had started brewing with India gearing up for the ODI World Cup at home later this year. But the 35-year-old put it all to rest to a stunning century, his first in 509 days, in the third and final ODI match of the series against New Zealand at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Tuesday, which helped him equal former Australia captain Ricky Ponting's staggering ODI feat. (India vs New Zealand Live Score 3rd ODI)
The last time Rohit had reached the triple-figure mark in international cricket was in September 2021 in the Oval Test against England. Rohit has since played 53 innings across formats, scoring 1555 runs with 12 half-centuries. The closest he had reached to the century mark was a fortnight back in the Guwahati ODI match against Sri Lanka, which did indicate that the end of the long drought was just around the corner.
Lacing nine boundaries and six maximums, Rohit eased towards the much-eluded score at the Holkar Stadium, adding to India's perfect start in the final game. It was Rohit's second-fastest century in his ODI career, falling short of won his record by only a delivery, a feat he had recorded in the Nottingham tie against England in 2018.
This was Rohit's 30th century in his career, putting him alongside Ponting for joint third-most centuries in ODIs. The two now only stand behind Sachin Tendulkar (49) and Kohli (46). 12 of those tons have been scored at home, the joint fifth-most by a batter in ODI history, alongside veteran New Zealand batter Ross Taylor.
