ICC World Cup: Rohit Sharma Smashes 85-Ball Century vs Pakistan

Rohit Sharma scored his 24th ODI century while batting against Pakistan on Sunday.

(Photo: AP)

Indian opener Rohit Sharma scored his 24th ODI century against Pakistan in their ICC World Cup match in Manchester on Sunday, 16 June.

Rohit along with fellow opener KL Rahul had stitched a 136-run partnership, breaking a 23-year-old record set by Sachin Tendulkar and Navjot Singh Sidhu for the highest opening partnership in a World Cup match against Pakistan.

While Rahul fell for 57 (off 78 balls), Rohit continued to bat with skipper Virat Kohli, and reached the three-figure mark in 85 deliveries with the help of three sixes and nine boundaries.

Rohit became the first Indian batsman to score an ODI hundred at the Old Trafford.

Before this, the Indian team had played in eight one-day internationals at the venue, but not one Indian batsman had reached the three-figure score.

His wife, Ritika Sajdeh, was there in the stands to applaud him, a broad smile hugging her cheeks, as the dashing right-hander raised his bat.

(For live updates from India vs Pakistan at ICC World Cup 2019, click here)

The 32-year old was lucky to survive a run out chance in the 11th over when a hesitation between him and Rahul saw Rohit way out of his crease, as Shadab Khan did superbly well to pick up the ball one-hand but got the direction of the throw wrong.

In the next over, Rohit rubbed salt into his wound by tonking the spinner for a four and a six off consecutive deliveries to bring up his half century.

Rohit also got past MS Dhoni for the most number of sixes by an Indian batsman in international cricket when he hit Hasan Ali over the deep fine-leg boundary in the sixth over.

Rohit, in his superb form this World Cup, has now joined an elite list of cricketers, becoming only the fourth player to aggregate 2,000 runs in One-Day Internationals against Australia in India's last game after their tie against New Zealand was washed off.

Rohit, along with Sachin Tendulkar, Sir Viv Richards and Desmond Haynes complete the list.