Through India’s massive 302-run win over Sri Lanka in their World Cup 2023 group-stage encounter at the Wankhde, India captain Rohit Sharma achieved a feat that no other ODI captain had ever done in the 52-year history of men’s ODI cricket.
The Indian bowlers routed Sri Lanka on Thursday bowling them out for a paltry total of only 55 runs in their chase of a huge target of 358 runs. After Shubman Gill (92 runs in 92 balls), Virat Kohli (88 runs in 94 balls) and Shreyas Iyer (82 runs in 56 balls) helped India put up a big total of 357 on the board, the fast bowlers got into the act right from the first ball.
Jasprit Bumrah started the proceedings with a wicket on the first. Then Mohammed Siraj took three wickets before Mohammed Shami ran through the middle- and lower-order of Sri Lanka with a five-wicket haul, bundling the Lankans out for 55 runs in 19.4 overs, and recording a colossal winning margin of 302 runs.
Rohit Sharma becomes first men’s captain to record ODI wins by a margin of 300 runs or more TWICE
With this enormous victory, Rohit Sharma became the first-ever men’s skipper to record two ODI wins by a margin of 300 runs or more.
Earlier in the year, under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, India had also defeated Sri Lanka by a whopping 317 runs in Thiruvananthapuram. In that game, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli had notched up centuries as India scored 390 runs before Siraj took a four-wicket haul and bowled Sri Lanka out for 73 runs in 22 overs.
No captain in the history of men’s ODI cricket had had two wins of 300 or more runs until Rohit Sharma claimed this record.
Biggest wins in ODIs (by runs):
317 – IND vs SL, Trivandrum 2023 (under Rohit Sharma)
309 – AUS vs NED, Delhi, 2023 (WC)
304 – ZIM vs UAE, Harare, 2023
302 – IND vs SL, Wankhede, 2023 (under Rohit Sharma)
290 – NZ vs IRE, Aberdeen 2008
275 – AUS vs AFG, Perth 2015 (WC)
With their 7th win in as many games, India became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals in World Cup 2023.
Rohit said: “Very happy knowing that we have officially qualified now. Been a good effort from the squad, when we started off in Chennai. This was our goal, to qualify first and then obviously to be in the semis and the finals. The way we approached these 7 games, it was quite clinical. Everyone put in the effort and a lot of individuals have put their hand up.”
