Data check: Rohit Sharma and the art of scoring ‘daddy hundreds’ in one-day cricket

Rohit Sharma, in more ways than one, was at home in the fourth ODI against West Indies in Mumbai on Monday. While India may not have played a ODI at the Brabourne Stadium for more than two decades, Rohit has played plenty at the venue during his early days at the Cricket Club of India, a venue steeped in history. He has also enjoyed a good record there. He became the first Indian to score a T20 century, when he made 101* against Gujarat in 2007. He scored a first-class triple century in 2009, also against Gujarat.

And on Monday, he scored the first ever ODI century at Brabourne.

When he got out on 162, however, the prevalent feeling was that he missed out on a double century. After having reached his 100 in the 33rd over, Rohit had accelerating like only he can and the signs were ominous for the Windies bowlers. It just goes to show how Rohit has made a habit of making a start count.

A league of his own

Rohit Sharma is already in a league of his own when it comes to scoring 150-plus in an ODI innings. The Hitman has managed it seven times while the next on the list David Warner (at five) is going to be out of action for a while more. Only Virat Kohli (at four) is any threat to Rohit for his place at the top of that particular table.

Another feature of Rohit’s recent ODI exploits is his conversation rate.

As the table below shows, in ODIs since January 2016, out of the 22 times Rohit Sharma has crossed 50, he has gone to make a century 13 times. And five of those are scores of 140 and more.

When it comes to reaching three figures in the 50-over format, only the Indian captain has been more prolific than Rohit. And just by a count of one, as things stand. While Kohli’s form comes in for effusive praise, Rohit’s numbers since 2015 have been just as prolific.

And when it comes to opening the batsman, Rohit is well ahead of the competition. He has scored nearly 700 more runs than Warner since January 2016, with three more centuries to his name. There is Rohit and then everybody else in this category.

Rohit Sharma also has the highest individual score by an Indian in ODIs in a calendar year since 2013.

In his own words, he wasn’t batting in Mumbai with an eye on that fourth double ton.

“While batting, I don’t think about scoring hundreds or double-hundreds. I just want to go bat, score runs and get the team to good positions,” Rohit said after his man-of-the-match performance. “The three double-hundreds that I’ve got, I had never thought about getting them. Even today, in fact, Rayudu was telling me that I can get a double-hundred. But I was just trying to focus on my batting and not think about how I’m going to get to double-hundred.”

Like he has said in the past, and repeated again on Monday, Rohit’s philosophy is simple: if you get to a century and then get out, it’s more often than not your own fault. It’s only a mistake that can get you out at that point. And he has made that philosophy work him for quite often in the past.

If Rohit gets his eye in, the opponents better be afraid.