Rohit Sharma's top 3 ODI innings vs New Zealand

Rohit Sharma has firmly established his legacy as one of the greatest opening batsmen to have played for India in One-Day Internationals.

He has scored 9359 runs in 224 innings at a majestic average of 49.00. He has scored 45 half-centuries and 29 centuries in the fifty-over format of the game, with 4 fifties and 1 century coming against the Blackcaps from New Zealand.

In this article, we’ll look at Rohit Sharma’s top three ODI innings against New Zealand.

#3) 62(77) - 3rd ODI (D/N), Mount Maunganui, January 28, 2019

Already leading 2-0 in the five-match series away to New Zealand, India was asked to bowl first in the third ODI by the home side. Apart from a majestic 119-run partnership between Ross Taylor and Tom Latham, the Indian bowlers were able to get regular wickets, disrupting any chances of New Zealand running away with the game in the first innings. The home team lost their last six wickets for just 65 runs as they collapsed for 243.

In reply, the Indian openers got off to a steady start, with Shikhar Dhawan attacking the bowlers and Rohit Sharma taking his time to settle at the crease.

With the first wicket of Dhawan falling on 39-1 after 8.2 overs, the next twenty overs went into consolidation as captain Virat Kohli and Rohit scored a massive partnership of 113 runs in just 123 deliveries.

Sharma opened up a lot more, hitting three boundaries, two sixers, and running between the wickets with the intent of taking the game away from the home side.

However, a flighted delivery by Mitchell Santner got him stumped out by wicketkeeper Tom Latham as his innings of 62 runs in 77 deliveries came to an end just short of the 30-over mark.

Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik took the team home with seven overs to spare, winning the five-match series with two games to play.

#2) 87(96) - 2nd ODI (D/N), Mount Maunganui, January 26, 2019

Just one match before the previously mentioned knock, Rohit Sharma had come up with an arguably finer inning at the top of the order to give India a strong 2-0 lead on Republic Day against New Zealand in their own backyard. India won the toss and chose to bat first as the openers established a solid partnership that laid a foundation for the rest of the innings.

Sharma was initially lucky to get away with an outside edge on the very first ball of the innings. Using this luck, he built his innings steadily and carefully, scoring the odd boundary against Doug Bracewell every other over and timing his shots without playing anything carelessly.

His six against Lockie Ferguson at the end of the 18th over took him to his fifty, along with his 14th hundred partnership with Shikhar Dhawan. He started playing more freely after this, including two back-to-back boundaries against Trent Boult in the 22nd over of the innings.

Eventually, Craig Ferguson won the battle as Rohit’s pull shot found Colin de Grandhomme at deep square leg. Regardless, Sharma’s 87 runs in 96 deliveries enabled the rest of the batsmen to play an attacking game as the Indian total reached a mammoth 324-4 at the end of the 50 overs.

They went on to win the match by a whopping 90 runs as the visitors took a 2-0 lead in the series. Rohit Sharma was awarded the Player of the Match for this important knock, ensuring India secure a huge win on their national holiday

#1) 147 (138) - 3rd ODI (D/N), Kanpur, October 29, 2017

In the crucial decider of the three-match series, the visiting New Zealand side won the toss and chose to field first, hoping to get the Indian team out on a low total. However, Kohli and Sharma had other plans, putting on a sensational partnership that would leave nothing to chance.

Despite the first wicket falling early at the score of just 29 in 6.1 overs, the next wicket wouldn’t fall until 211 balls had been bowled and 230 runs had been scored.

Captain Virat Kohli and vice-captain Rohit Sharma completely took the New Zealand attack out of the game.

The short ball did not work on Rohit Sharma at all, with 36 runs in his innings coming exclusively from the pull shot. The opening batsman was not really troubled by the pace either, scoring runs all across the park with Virat Kohli doing the same from the other end.

A single off Tim Southee took him to his fifth ODI hundred of the year. Later, another single off Trent Boult in the 39th over saw the Rohit-Kohli duo to become the first-ever pair to add four 200+ partnerships in ODIs. The pair had even smashed Boult for 17 runs in the 36th over, ratting the quick left-armer.

A mistimed shot towards long-off saw the end of Rohit Sharma’s blistering innings. Regardless, India reached a solid total of 337-6 at the end of their fifty overs, winning the match by a close margin of six runs to take the series 2-1.

Sharma was given the Player of the Match award for his brilliant 147 runs in 138 deliveries, while Virat Kohli’s 113 runs in 106 deliveries contributed to him winning the Player of the Series award.