Rohit Sharma made 264 not out off 173 balls at Eden Gardens against Sri Lanka — the highest individual score in ODI cricket history, including 33 fours and 9 sixes in an innings of controlled, extraordinary brilliance.
Rohit passed 100 in the 30th over, 150 in the 37th, 200 in the 45th — each milestone faster than the last as the field spread and the bowling became more defensive. In the final four overs he made 40 runs. His innings ended not out — declared by the team at the end of the innings.
India made 404/5. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 251. The scale of Rohit's dominance was total — he faced 173 balls for 264, a strike rate of 152. He hit 33 fours and 9 sixes — together accounting for 213 of his runs.
Edward Cowan, the statistician, noted that no batsman had hit as many boundaries in a single ODI innings in history. The crowd of 60,000 at Eden Gardens gave Rohit a standing ovation that lasted several minutes when he walked off.
Rohit reaching 200 — his second ODI double century, the third ever
Rohit going from 200 to 264 in the final 5 overs — the most destructive phase of the innings
India 404/5 — Rohit 264* — the highest ODI score in history
November 13, 2014
India bat first at Eden Gardens — Rohit opens
Over 45
Rohit reaches 200 — already historic
Over 50
Rohit finishes 264* — India 404/5
Match result
Sri Lanka all out 251 — India win by 153 runs
Rohit Sharma became the only batsman in history to have scored three ODI double centuries. His ODI record and his ability to convert big innings into historical innings became a defining feature of Indian cricket throughout the 2010s.
The highest score in ODI cricket history and a landmark that may stand for years — not because it cannot be broken, but because the combination of strike rate, boundaries, and sustained excellence Rohit showed is rare.
Rohit's 264 sits at the peak of ODI batting records alongside Lara's 400 in Tests. It confirmed that the 50-over format, even in its most defensive state, could produce individual performances of historic scale.
Australia vs West Indies
1960-12-14
The first tied Test in 86 years of cricket history — Australia and West Indies finished level on 737 runs each after five days of breathless cricket in Brisbane, producing one of the most dramatic finishes the game has ever seen.
India vs Australia
1986-09-22
Twenty-six years after Brisbane, cricket produced only its second tied Test — Dean Jones's heroic 210 through crippling heat and Dean Jones's fever, Ravi Shastri's unbeaten 48 and India needing 2 off the last over, only for Maninder Singh to be out lbw off the final ball.
Australia vs South Africa
1999-06-17
Lance Klusener smashed Australia to the brink of elimination, then ran out Allan Donald off the penultimate ball to tie the match — but Australia advanced to the final on superior run rate, ending South Africa's greatest World Cup campaign in devastating fashion.