Rohit Sharma returned to form in style, smashing a brilliant century in the second ODI between India and England in Cuttack. The star opener played an explosive innings of 119 off just 90 balls, making India’s chase of 305 look effortless. India comfortably reached the target with over five overs to spare. This was Rohit’s first ODI century since his knock against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup, ending a 487-day drought in the format.
Following his stellar performance, Mumbai Indians teammates Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya paid tribute to Rohit on social media.
“Good things happen to good people. God is great,” wrote Suryakumar on his Instagram story, celebrating Rohit’s return to form.
Hardik, who was part of India’s playing XI in the match, also praised the electric atmosphere in Cuttack.
“What an atmosphere, Cuttack! Rohit Sharma stole the show,” he captioned his Instagram post.
Yuvraj Singh, a former teammate of Rohit Sharma, also acknowledged the captain’s stunning innings.
“And he’s back with a bang! You can’t keep the Hitman quiet for too long. A cracker of an innings with the bat doing all the talking,” Yuvraj wrote on X.
While Hardik currently plays under Rohit’s captaincy in ODIs, he will lead Rohit for the second consecutive season when the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 kicks off.
Rohit Sharma’s Record-Breaking Knock
Chasing a target of 305, Rohit’s 90-ball masterclass, which included 12 fours and seven sixes, set the stage for India’s dominant victory. The hosts wrapped up the chase with 33 balls to spare, sealing an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. This series win comes just ahead of the 50-over Champions Trophy, set to begin on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.
Rohit brought up his 32nd ODI century in just 76 balls, reaching the milestone with a six off Adil Rashid. His partnership of 136 runs with opening partner Shubman Gill laid a solid foundation for India’s chase.
After managing only two runs in the first ODI, Rohit came out with an aggressive intent, punishing the bowlers with a flurry of boundaries. Even a 20-minute floodlight failure at the venue couldn’t halt his momentum. He reached his half-century in style, marking the end of a lean patch that had plagued him in India’s recent Test series defeat against Australia.
Before this innings, Rohit had struggled across all formats in the 2024-25 season, averaging just 10.37 in his previous 16 innings. However, his authoritative display, featuring his signature pull shots and elegant stroke play, reminded the world of his class.
Rohit’s innings finally came to an end when he fell to Liam Livingstone’s leg-spin, walking off to a standing ovation from the crowd.
Despite missing out on a bigger milestone by just 13 runs, Rohit is now on the brink of becoming only the fourth Indian batter to reach 11,000 ODI runs—yet another record within his grasp.