02 April 2011 will always be remembered as a red-letter day for every Indian cricket lover. It was on this day that MS Dhoni and his men ended the nation's 28-year-long wait of finally earning the right to be called 'world champions'.
While the players were rejoicing, hugging, crying, celebrating with the trophy, common Indians were up in arms, and in streets with dhols, sweets and crackers.
While everyone was rejoicing, somewhere in Mumbai, a thought would have lingered in Rohit Gurunath Sharma's mind about the lost opportunity, even though he would have no doubt rejoiced like any other Indian.
Winning the World Cup is a dream for every aspiring athlete, especially on their home soil.
Earmarked as the next big thing in Indian cricket following his exploits at the 2007 T20 WC, and CB series in Australia, Rohit lost out on the World Cup spot due to his inconsistent display.
However, his story was far from over. His career took a complete turn after he was promoted to the top of the order in 2013.
There was no looking back from thereon as Rohit unlocked his 'Hitman' mode to establish himself as one of the best openers in ODI cricket by the time the next WC rolled around.
During this period, he had done the unthinkable by scoring, not 1, but 2 double-centuries in ODIs, including a breathtaking 264 against Sri Lanka in November 2014.
Rohit had a steady 2015 WC campaign, where his knock of 137 (126) against Bangladesh in the quarter-final proved to be the headline act.
But, it was really in 2019 that Sharma truly established his authority at the World Cup stage by smashing 100s and obliterating records and bowling attacks for fun.
He started off with a classy match-winning 122 amid difficult batting conditions and against a potent South African attack in overcast Southampton.
Then, it was the turn of the Pakistanis to face his full wrath as he painted the iconic Old Trafford stadium with his artistic stroke play.
Rohit hammered 14 fours and 3 sixes in his brutal 113-ball 140, and in the process, he became only the 2nd Indian (after Virat Kohli) to score a century against Pakistan ij World Cups.
Sharma continued his century-making spree at the backend of the round-robin stage, ammassing 102 (109) vs England, 104 (92) vs Bangladesh & 103 (94) vs Sri Lanka, to become the first batter in the history of World Cups to rack up 5 10os in a single edition.
However, his rare-off day came at the knockout stage, and the campaign which had started on such a joyful note proceeded ro end in tears as the Men in Blue bowed out of the tournament after losing to New Zealand in the semi-final.
4 years later, Rohit will lead the Indian team in a home World Cup, and he would look to complete his bitter-sweet relationship with the marquee event with a fairytale ending.
Rohit Sharma Record in World Cup
| Matches | Innings | NO | Runs | Avg | S/R | 50/100 | HS | 4s | 6s |
| 17 | 17 | 2 | 978 | 65.20 | 95.97 | 3/6 | 140 | 100 | 23 |
List of records created by Rohit Sharma in World Cups
5- Most 100s in a single edition of a World Cup.
6- Joint-most 100s by a batter in World Cup history. Sharma has scored 6 tons in just 17 innings. Sachin Tendulkar, meanwhile, took 44 innings for the same.
3- Most 10os by an Indian in run-chases in WC's. No other Indian batter has scored more than 1 century in run-chases.
3rd- Most number of runs in a single edition of a World Cup. In 2019, Rohit racked up 648 runs in 9 innings @ 81 apiece. Only Sachin Tendulkar (673 in 2003) and Matthew Hayden (659 in 2007) have scored more.
2- One of the two Indian batters who have scored a century in the knockouts of the World Cup. He scored 137 against Bangladesh in the quarter-final of the 2015 event.
Milestones awaiting Rohit Sharma in 2023 World Cup
Joint 2nd-fastest to 1000 runs
Rohit has scored 978 runs in 17 innings at the World Cup. If he scores 22 or more against Australia on October 08th, then he will join Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar as the joint 2nd fastest to rack up 1k+ runs.
Most 100s in World Cup history
Sharma has scored 6 centuries in WC's in just 17 innings, 5 of which came in the last edition.
He is currently level with Sachin Tendulkar for the most 100s scored by a batter in WF history. With India set to play a minimum of 9 games at World Cup 2023, there will be ample opportunities for him to claim the all-time record.
![[Watch] Throwback to when Rohit Sharma smashed a third ODI double century in 2017](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/12/8ea79-17024515569321-1920.jpg?h=166)
