Ishan Kishan became the latest batsman to join the exclusive double-centurion club in ODI cricket, with the 24-year-old smashing Chris Gayle’s record of the fastest double-century in the third ODI against Bangladesh last week.
For a long time, a double-century in limited-overs cricket was considered impossible – with many legendary players coming close to the landmark figure but falling just short.
That curse was broken when Sachin Tendulkar became the first player to reach 200 runs in 2010, with the little master scoring an unbeaten 200 against South Africa in Gwalior. The advent of T20 cricket has also increased the overall scoring pace of ODIs in the last decade with many players now taking bold risks to pile up runs on the board.
Let’s take a look at the list of all players with a double-century in ODIs.
Sachin Tendulkar – 200*
It is perhaps fitting that the little master became the first person to score a double-century in One-Day Internationals. For a long time, the elusive figure has escaped the reach of many players – with CK Coventry, Saeed Anwar, and Fakhar Zaman all failing to reach the score with single-digit deficits.
Sachin Tendulkar was already a legendary figure among Indian players and fans in 2010 with numerous records already attached to his name. The highest run-scorer in ODIs achieved the landmark feat in the second ODI against the Proteas in Gwalior.
Losing his partner Virendar Sehwag early in the game, Sachin Tendulkar partnered with Dinesh Karthik, Yousuf Pathan, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni to score at a lightning pace. His double-century came off 147 balls with 25 fours and 3 sixes, scoring at a strike rate of 136.05.
For a while in the game, it looked as if the little master might not reach the score after all with Mahendra Singh Dhoni busy at the other end trying to pile on runs for India.
But the third ball of the last over saw him take a historic single to score 200, taking the team to 401/3 in the first innings and eventually winning the match.
Rohit Sharma – 208*, 209, 264
India’s captain Rohit Sharma has scored not one but three double-centuries in his career, also holding the record for the highest-ever score in a One Day Internationals.
Two of these double-centuries came against Sri Lanka, while the other was against Australia – all three of them at home grounds in front of thousands of cheering supporters.
Rohit Sharma became the third batsman to cross the 200-mark in 2013 and the third Indian to do so. In the seventh ODI against Australia, the Hitman produced a masterclass innings that saw him break the record for most sixes in an ODI – 16.
With an additional 12 fours, India’s captain scored 209 runs from 158 balls to take India to 383/6 and give the Men in Blue a comprehensive victory.
His second and most famous double-century came against India’s southern neighbour Sri Lanka in 2014. Starting the innings on a steady note in the fourth ODI at Eden Gardens, Rohit Sharma’s first half-century came in 72 balls.
But the Hitman then accelerated his innings to a level not seen by anyone before, scoring the next 200 runs in less than 100 balls. His innings saw a record 33 fours and 9 sixes, giving him a strike rate of 152.60.
Rohit Sharma added a new record to his name in the second ODI against Sri Lanka, scoring his third double-century. With 13 fours and 12 sixes, the Hitman scored 208 runs at a strike rate of 135.94 to guide India to a mammoth victory against a hapless Sri Lanka.
Martin Guptill – 237*
The World Cup in Australia in 2015 is special for many reasons – one of them being the only tournament where two different batsmen scored double hundreds.
Martin Guptill became the fifth batsman to score a double-century in ODIs and the second to do so at a World Cup. The landmark innings came in the quarterfinals against West Indies with the opening batsman single-handedly taking the Kiwis to a mammoth total of 393/6 in the first innings.
Martin Guptill’s innings saw 24 fours and 6 sixes and remains one of the finest innings by any player in ODI history. New Zealand would go on to win the quarterfinals and make their way to the finals, only to lose to their arch-rivals Australia in a low-scoring fixture.
Virendar Sehwag – 219
Sachin Tendulkar’s record of the highest score in an ODI was broken just a year later by his opening partner Virender Sehwag.
In the fourth ODI against West Indies at Indore – which came after Sachin Tendulkar retired from the game – Virendar Sehwag combined with Gautam Gambhir to pile misery on the West Indies bowlers.
The then-captain scored 25 fours and 7 sixes at a strike rate of 146.97 to end his innings with 219 runs – the top score in ODI Cricket until Martin Guptill surpassed it four years later.
Chris Gayle – 215
The Universe Boss became the first batsman to score a double-century at a World Cup in 2015 when he smashed around Zimbabwe’s bowlers in a group-stage encounter. In the process, Chris Gayle became the first non-Indian batsman to achieve the landmark feat, and the fourth batsman to do so overall.
Chris Gayle’s knock in Canberra was also the fastest double-century in ODIs until Ishan Kishan broke the record last week.
The West Indies star scored 200 runs in just 138 balls, finishing the innings with 215 runs. Chris Gayle also shared the record for most sixes in an innings with the Hitman – 16.
Fakhar Zaman – 210*
Zimbabwe’s bowlers became the casualty of yet another explosive innings when Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman scored an unbeaten 210 in the fourth ODI between the two sides at Bulawayo.
With 24 fours and five sixes, Fakhar Zaman finished the innings at a strike rate of 134.61. Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman also put together a 304-run partnership for the first wicket – the second-highest in the history of One-Day Internationals.
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