Rohit Sharma joins Tendulkar,Sehwag in ODI8217;s 200-run club

When I went out to bat,I never thought I would get a 200,said Rohit Sharma.

You just knew that he would get there with a six. It was inevitable. For close to 15 minutes till then,the white ball had spent more time soaring into the Bangalore sky and disappearing into the packed stands around the Chinnaswamy Stadium than on the field of play. Courtesy Rohit Sharma.

His brutal assault during the previous quarter of an hour had brought him to the brink of a significant milestone,a one-day double-hundred. As Clint McKay began the final over of Indias innings,the Mumbai right-hander had six balls to collect the three runs he required for the double. He would need only one. The delivery was pitched on a length and didnt provide him any explicit width. But like he had been doing for a major part of Saturday,Rohit never bothered keeping his flashy drive on the floor. For the 15th time on Diwali day,the ball left Rohits bat and landed a few rows over the fence. He would hit one more to make the record for most sixes in an innings also his.

Release of frustration

But clearly,the 15th felt more significant as the 26-year-old screaming,pumping his fist and struck a pose. This was a true release of frustration after having been labelled an under-achiever for close to eight years. In Bangalore,Rohit joined Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag to became only the third batsman ever to cross the monumental 200-run landmark in ODI history. Incidentally,Rohit had watched the aggressive Delhi opener cross Tendulkars mark from the non-strikers end in Indore two years ago.

On 209 now,Rohit played an exquisite flick shot again,but it landed straight into the palms of substitute Moises Henriques at fine leg. Ironically,it was the same pair of hands that had provided him a second life a few overs earlier. When his pull-shot off James Faulkner literally burst through Henriques palms and over the square-leg fence for his seventh six,Rohit was still on 120 off 126 deliveries. Only eight overs remained in the Indian innings,and the question being asked was whether the hosts could reach 300. Not even Rohit is likely to have imagined a double-century then.

In the over after the drop,he air-lifted a short delivery around his waist over deep square-leg for his ninth six. No.10 was off the same bowler. A full delivery on his pads,deposited in the same region with delicate use of the wrists. By now,Rohit had raced along to 157. Even then the double did not seem achievable. Then on came Xavier Doherty to bowl the 47th over. The sequence of the over read 6,4,dot,6,4,6. All three sixes came over the on-side. The first pulled over mid-wicket,the next two butchered over the long-on fence after jumping out of his crease.

Soon after Rohit entered the 190s after clobbering a Nathan Coulter-Nile full-toss into the upper half over long-off. When he crossed the 200-run mark,Rohit had scored his last 100 runs in just 42 balls.

Calm before the storm

Rohit didnt give any indication of the carnage that was to follow at the start of his innings,letting Shikhar Dhawan put the Australians to the sword,preferring the back-seat. In fact,Rohit took 71 balls for his first half-century. Though he launched Doherty and Glen Maxwell for five sixes in the space of 15 deliveries after that,Sharma dropped down a gear again,taking 30 balls to move from 85 to 100. As he celebrated his ton,he took a moment to wave apologetically towards Virat Kohli who cheered him from the pavilion. After all,Rohit had broken Bangalore hearts earlier in the day by playing a part in Kohli who had been welcomed to the crease with a standing ovation being run-out for a duck. But Rohit would make up for it,and how.

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I didnt know about sixes record,but glad i broke it

Man of the Match and Series Rohit Sharma said he didnt bat for the 200 nor was he aware that he had broken the record of maximum sixes. I didnt know about the 16 sixes record,but I am glad to have done that. I didnt really think of the 200 initially, he said.

Right from ball one I wanted to stay there. It was a small ground with a fast outfield,we knew it was going to be a big-scoring game keeping the wickets in hand. We always spoke about building small partnerships and we had two big ones today. Its been our strength throughout the series so it was heartening to see that, he added. He said the wicket was so flat that the Indians never felt it was beyond Australias reach. You never know,even 380 wasnt looking comfortable.

Dhoni echoed Rohits sentiments,saying the Indians had nervy moments in the series.

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We need to improve our death bowling, Dhoni said after the match. While batting,there was a moment when we were under pressure after losing 2-3 quick wickets. It became a little difficult, he said. But Dhoni admitted Rohits form and the reputation of the ground meant they could get back in it. This ground has the reputation for batsmen hitting more sixes than fours,especially when you see Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli batting in the IPL. Its difficult to contain the batsmen here, he said. ENS