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- By Sunny Daud
- Sun, 19 Jul 2026 11:39 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Indian opener Rohit Sharma created history in the third ODI against England at Lord’s by becoming the first batter to score eight ODI centuries in a single away country. The 39-year-old went past the previous record of seven centuries, jointly held by four players, during the series-deciding match against England.
His landmark knock also came at the perfect time, with speculation about his ODI future dominating the headlines in recent weeks.
ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma Scripts History, Becomes First Indian to Smash Century at Lord’s in ODI
Most centuries by a batter in an away country
| Player | Country | Host Country | 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 |
India faced a huge challenge after England posted 387 runs, the highest first-innings total at Lord’s in ODI history. Rohit had a cautious start as Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson kept things tight with the new ball. The Indian opener was beaten outside the off stump on several occasions and survived a few nervous moments, including edges that ran away for boundaries. He reached 24 runs from 24 balls by the end of the powerplay.
The innings changed in the eighth over when Josh Tongue missed his line. Rohit flicked the first delivery to the fine-leg boundary before producing one of his trademark pull shots for four. He then smashed a huge six over backward square leg, taking 14 runs from the over and shifting the momentum in India’s favour.
From there, Rohit looked much more comfortable at the crease. He mixed attacking shots with sensible strike rotation while Shubman Gill supported him from the other end. The experienced opener completed his half-century in 51 balls during the 21st over by hitting back-to-back paddle sweeps for four off Gus Atkinson.
As Gill took on the spinners, Rohit continued to build his innings patiently, using the sweep shot regularly to keep the scoreboard moving. The opening duo put together a brilliant 147-run partnership before Adil Rashid ended Gill’s knock on 77 with an lbw dismissal. Meanwhile, Rohit continued his outstanding innings after adding another memorable record to his remarkable ODI career.