The unforgettable innings that rewrote the history books and crowned the ‘Hitman’ took place on November 2, 2013.
On this day, Rohit Sharma smashed 209 runs off just 158 balls against a mighty opponent, Australia, in a thrilling series decider.
Starting steadily, he reached his century at 101* off 116 balls but then unleashed an absolute carnage, rocketing to his final score of 209 in only 42 more deliveries. This remarkable acceleration secured the series for India and broke or set several significant world and individual records in One Day International (ODI) cricket.
Let’s take a detailed look at the statistics and milestones he achieved on that historic day.
The Context: Setting the Stage
- Match Details: 7th and final One Day International (ODI) of the 7-match series.
- Opponent: Australia
- Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, India
- Date: November 2, 2013
- Significance: This was the series decider of an epic, high-scoring bilateral series, with the series level at 2-2 (two matches were washed out). The winner would take home the trophy. Australia won the toss and elected to field first.
The Performance: A Statistical Summary
| Statistic | Details |
| Score | 209 off 158 balls |
| Strike Rate | 132.27% |
| Boundaries | 12 Fours, 16 Sixes |
| Final Result | India won by 57 runs (India: 383/6; Australia: 326 all out) |
Innings Pacing: The Acceleration to 209
Rohit Sharma’s innings was a classic example of pacing, where he accelerated dramatically in the later stages. His approach shifted from consolidation to absolute attack, as shown below:
| Milestone/Stage | Balls Taken | 4s / 6s | Strike Rate |
| First 100 (0 to 100) | 116 | 4 / 6 | 86.2 |
| Next 50 (101 to 150) | 26 | 5 / 3 | 192.3 |
| Final 59 (151 to 209) | 18 | 3 / 7 | 327.8 |
Dig Deep: The Mindset behind Rohit Sharma this Innings
Key Records Broken on this Day: Rohit Sharma’s 209 vs Australia (Nov 2, 2013)
Individual Batting Records (at the time)
Most Sixes in an ODI Innings (World Record): Rohit Sharma hit 16 sixes, breaking the previous world record of 15 sixes held by Shane Watson (against Bangladesh in 2011). (This record has since been broken by Eoin Morgan who hit 17 sixes against Afghanistan in 2019).
Highest Individual Score Against Australia: His 209 surpassed the previous highest score against Australia, which was 175 by Herschelle Gibbs (in 2006) and Sachin Tendulkar (in 2009). (Check the top ten list here.) It is still the only double century scored against Australia in this format.
Third Double Century in ODI History: He became only the third batsman after Sachin Tendulkar (200*) and Virender Sehwag (219) to score a double century in men’s ODI cricket.
Highest Individual Score at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru: His 209 was the highest score made by any batsman at that ground, eclipsing Andrew Strauss’s 158 (against India in 2011).
Second Highest Individual Score in ODI History: At the time, his score of 209 was the second-highest individual score in ODIs, only behind Virender Sehwag’s 219. Rohit, then made a 264 against Sri Lanka and currently tops the list of the batters with most runs in a single ODI innings.
Most Runs from Boundaries in a Double Century (at the time): Accumulating 144 runs from his 12 fours and 16 sixes, this knock stood as the second most runs scored via boundaries in an individual ODI innings, only surpassed by Shane Watson’s 150 runs in 2011. (Note: Rohit himself later broke this record with 186 boundary runs in his 264-run innings.)
The Pace of the Double Ton (Slowest to 200): Rohit’s landmark double century took him 156 balls to achieve the magical 200-run mark. Despite a strike rate of over 128, this remains the slowest double century knock in ODI history, a testament to his pacing of the innings.
Highest Series Aggregate for a Bilateral Series (at the time): Rohit finished the 7-match series with a massive 491 runs. This was the highest run tally by a batsman in a bilateral series, narrowly beating George Bailey’s 478 runs in the same series. (This record has since been surpassed by Virat Kohli (558 runs vs South Africa, 2018) and Fakhar Zaman (515 runs vs Zimbabwe, 2018).
Team/Series Records
Highest ODI Total for India Against Australia: India’s total of 383/6 was their highest ever score against Australia in ODIs (at the time). (Find out the new record total for India against Australia in ODIs here).
Most Sixes by a Team in an ODI Innings: India’s total of 19 sixes in the innings was the most by a team in an ODI (though Australia later equalled this in the same match). The record was, however, then broken by 10 more instances.
350+ Scores in ODI: India’s total of 383 was their 19th instance of scoring 350-plus runs in ODIs at the time. (Current Context: India is currently the global leader with the most 350+ scores by a team in ODI cricket history).
Explore India in Australia Records
Most ODI Runs for India in Australia
Most ODI Centuries for India in Australia
Most ODI Sixes for India in Australia
Most ODI Wickets for India in Australia
Most ODI 4-wicket Hauls for India in Australia
Highest Individual ODI Score for India in Australia
Best ODI Bowling Average for India in Australia
Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma: ODI Records in Australia Compared
Indian Captains with Most ODI Wins in Australia
India’s Venue-wise ODI Win-Loss Records in Australia
Most Test Runs for India in Australia
Most Test Centuries for India in Australia
Most Test Wickets for India in Australia
Most Test 5-Wicket Hauls for India in Australia
Lasting Legacy
Rohit Sharma’s 209 was not just a match-winning effort in a series decider; it was the innings that truly announced his transformation into a global opening superstar. The effortless power and sheer volume of sixes he hit during this knock cemented his reputation as the ‘Hitman’, capable of scoring gigantic hundreds and dominating an opposition single-handedly. It was the first of his record three ODI double centuries.
More “Rohit Sharma Stats”
Rohit Sharma Year-wise ODI Runs
Rohit Sharma ODI Runs by Batting Positions
Rohit Sharma ODI Runs vs All Teams
The Ten Highest Rohit Sharma ODI Scores
The Ten Best ODI Innings of Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma ODI World Cup – Runs and Centuries (Edition-wise)
Rohit Sharma Test Runs by Batting Position
Rohit Sharma Year-wise Test Runs
Rohit Sharma – List of Records (All Formats)
Rohit Sharma Year-wise T20I Runs
Rohit Sharma T20I Runs vs Each Country
Rohit Sharma vs Left-Arm Pacers in International Cricket
Rohit Sharma Captaincy Record – ODI, Test, T20I, & IPL
Rohit Sharma Centuries List – Test, ODI, & T20I
Top Ten Best Innings of Rohit Sharma across Formats
