3 Rare feats achieved by Rohit Sharma with the masterclass against Sri Lanka

After a clinical 7-wicket win over Sri Lanka. It was Indian vice-captain Rohit Sharma who essayed the victory for the team once again, with a third consecutive hundred. Coming after an underwhelming display with the bat in the IPL, Rohit has defied all the odds at the World Cup.

He has created ripples throughout the tournament with his rock-solid temperament and unerring consistency, thereby testifying the axiom 'Form is temporary, class is permanent'. In the context of this event, his form and class both have been persistent.

Hitman continued his innings from where he left off against Bangladesh, giving a blistering start to the Indian inning. What was supposed to be a slow track seemed to be a batting paradise with his immaculate timing.

Rohit brought up his third consecutive hundred, and a fifth of the tournament, thereby setting the platform for an Indian win at Leeds. He also etched his name into the record books, by achieving three rare feats. Let's have a look at them:

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#3 Second Indian to hit 3 consecutive ODI hundreds

Rohit Sharma scored 3 consecutive hundreds against England, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

Rohit Sharma became just the second Indian batsman to score three hundreds in three consecutive ODI matches, as he breached the three figure mark against Sri Lanka at Leeds. Rohit joined his skipper Virat Kohli in this rare club, which comprises of nine other batsmen apart from the modern Indian greats.

Hitman, having scored two hundreds against South Africa and Pakistan early on in the tournament, brought up his third hundred against England at Birmingham. He followed it up with another scintillating century against Bangladesh at the same venue.

Though the venue for India's final league match changed, Rohit was undeterred as he brought up a hat-trick of hundreds as he smashed Kasun Rajitha for a boundary down the leg side. He also became the second batsman after Kumar Sangakkara to hit three consecutive World Cup hundreds.

Also see – Australia vs England head to head stats

#2 Most hundreds at the World Cup

Rohit has equalled Sachin's record of 6 World Cup hundreds

World Cup is the marquee event of cricket, with a rich sporting legacy behind it. It is a matter of great pride for players to represent their nation at this level, and etching their names in the record books is no short of a fairy tale. Greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Lasith Malinga and Glenn McGrath have toiled for years to bring laurels to their countries and leave their mark on the event.

Come 2019, a low-profile, composed batsman, known for his immaculate timing makes his way into the tournament and starts plying his trade from the first game itself. That man is none other than Rohit Sharma. Rohit equalled Sachin's feat for the maximum hundreds at the World Cup, with his masterclass against Sri Lanka.

While Tendulkar had featured in six editions of the tournament, playing 44 innings, Sharma achieved the feat in just his second World Cup and 16th innings. With the knockout phase of the tournament still to be played and form on his side, the Indian vice-captain has a realistic chance of getting past the Master Blaster in this edition itself.

#3 Most Hundreds in a single edition of the World Cup

Rohit Sharma has scored 5 hundreds in the tournament so far

In 2015, Kumar Sangakkara set the tournament ablaze with four consecutive hundreds. At that point, it seemed that this feat could be etched only by a seasoned campaigner like Sanga, and cricketing pundits were sceptical to whether this feat of four hundreds in a single edition would ever be repeated.

Four years down the line, Rohit Sharma has not only emulated the feat of Sangakkara but has gone a step ahead by scoring five hundreds in the tournament till now. Rohit started the tournament on a positive note, with a well-paced hundred against South Africa. He continued his rich vein of form and blew away Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka with his impeccable knocks. He also threatened to take the game away from England, with another hundred against them.

The World's No.2 ranked batsman leads the batting charts with 647 runs in 8 innings. India would hope that their vice-captain makes the most of his purple patch, for furthering the prospects of the two-time champions.