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Indian skipper Rohit Sharma made a memorable return to form with a power-packed century against England at Cuttack in the second ODI on Sunday, helping him overtake Rahul Dravid to enter the top 10 run-getters in ODI cricket.
At Cuttack, every minute spent was worth it for fans who had waited months to witness Rohit hit top gear once again. The Hitman set his struggles aside, timing and middling his shots with perfection to score 119 in 90 balls, with 12 fours and seven sixes. His runs came at a strike rate of 132.22. In 267 ODIs, Rohit has 10,987 runs at an average of 49.26 and a strike rate of 92.70. He has 32 centuries and 57 fifties, with a best score of 264. He is the 10th-highest run-getter in ODIs. Dravid has on the other hand, scored 10,889 runs In 344 matches and 318 innings at an average of 39.16, with 12 centuries, 83 fifties, and best score of 153. Rohit also overtook legendary Sachin Tendulkar to become the second-highest run-getter for India as an opener in international cricket. In 343 matches, he has scored 15,404 runs at an average of 45.43, with 44 centuries and 79 fifties. His best score is 264. On the other hand, Sachin has scored 15,335 runs at an average of 48.07 in 346 matches and 342 innings. He has made 45 centuries and 75 fifties, with the best score of 200*. The highest-run-getter for India as an opener is Virender Sehwag, who has scored 15,758 runs in 321 matches and 388 innings at an average of 41.90, with 36 centuries and 65 fifties. His best score is 319. The four-wicket triumph in Cuttack was Rohit's 36th ODI win as captain. He is now tied with legendary Viv Richards for the third-highest wins as captain in the format. Clive Lloyd, Ricky Ponting and Virat are tied at the top with 39 wins in the ODIs as captain. Rohit took a step closer to dethroning Pakistan's former explosive all-rounder Shahid Afridi for the most sixes in the men's ODI format. In his 119-run blitzkrieg, Rohit tonked seven maximums, taking him past Chris Gayle's record of 331. After his swashbuckling display, Rohit sits in the second spot with 338 sixes in men's ODIs, only Afridi ahead of him with 351 sixes. Summarising the match, England won the toss and decided to bat first. Joe Root (69 runs from 72 balls, 6 fours) and Ben Duckett (65 runs from 56 balls, 10 fours) delivered masterful knocks, powering England to 304 in their first innings. Liam Livingstone (41 runs from 32 balls, 2 fours, and 2 sixes) and Jos Buttler (34 runs from 35 balls, 2 fours) also contributed, helping England surpass the 300-run mark. Ravindra Jadeja led the Indian bowling attack with a three-wicket haul in his 10-over spell. During the run chase, Rohit Sharma (119 runs from 90 balls, 12 fours, and 7 sixes) and Shubman Gill (60 runs from 52 balls, 9 fours, and 1 six) gave the hosts a strong start with a 136-run partnership. In the middle order, Shreyas Iyer (44 runs from 47 balls, 3 fours, and 1 six) and Axar Patel (41* runs from 43 balls, 4 fours) played crucial knocks to secure a four-wicket win for India. England's bowlers had an off day, but Jamie Overton led the English attack with a two-wicket haul. (ANI)
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