5 times Rohit Sharma's heroics went in vain

Rohit Sharma, one of the most talked about cricketers of India, has impressed one and all with his batting class. When he gets going, there is no better player to watch. He has witnessed some extraordinary achievements in his career. The 28-year-old is the record holder for the highest individual score of 264 in the ODIs and also the only player in the world to have scored two double centuries in ODIs.Despite all the heroics, Rohit has not been the luckiest cricketer. There have been instances where he played brilliant knocks but somehow team India went on to lose those matches. Here are 5 such instances:

#5 95 vs West Indies at Ahmedabad in 2011

95 vs West Indies

Chasing West Indies’s score of 260 to win, India got off to a horrible start. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were dismissed without opening their accounts. Then shortly Virat Kohli got out too and India was tottering at 3 wickets for 43 runs.

Rohit Sharma then came out to bat in the 9th over. Wickets kept tumbling at the other end but he stood firm at one end. He shared a partnership of 91 runs with Ravichandran Ashwin for the 7th wicket before Sunil Narine got the better of Ashwin. Rohit looked like he was determined to win India the match. He played superbly before getting run out unfortunately at a score of 95 off 100 balls.

He was the ninth wicket to fall in the innings at the score of 219. His innings included 10 fours and a six. India was ultimately bowled out for 244 and lost the match by just 16 runs. Rohit’s great effort went in vain.

#4 138 vs Australia at Melbourne in 2015

138 vs Australia

Just before the 2015 ODI World Cup, India toured Australia. It was the second game of the tri-series between India, Australia, and England.

India opted to bat after winning the toss and it was a one man show. Opening the innings, Rohit scored 138 runs off 139 balls hitting 9 fours and 4 sixes. He tackled the fast bowling of Australia beautifully and manoeuvred them to all parts of the magnificent MCG stadium.

Despite the wonderful innings by him, India failed to finish the innings strongly. The batsmen could not score quick runs at the end and India could manage a score of 267/8 at the end of 50 overs. Australia did not face too much difficulty in chasing the target and got to it in the 49th over and won the match by 4 wickets.

#3 106 vs South Africa at Dharamsala in 2015

106 vs South Africa

It was the first T20 of the long tour of South Africa to India. Rohit started off with a bang. He scored his first T20 international century and became only the second Indian after Suresh Raina to have scored centuries in all formats.

He was literally unstoppable and scored 106 runs off just 66 balls. He hit 12 fours and 5 colossal sixes on the picturesque ground of Dharamsala. It was due to his innings that India put up a mammoth total of 199 runs at the end of 20 overs.

But as it has happened several times, India’s bowlers let the batsmen down again. Barring Ashwin, none of the bowlers could restrict the Proteas and all conceded more than 10 runs an over. Quick half-centuries from AB de Villiers and JP Duminy meant that South Africa achieved the target with 2 balls to spare.

#2 150 vs South Africa at Kanpur in 2015

150 vs South Africa

AB de Villiers’s innings of 104 off just 73 balls enabled South Africa to set a score of 303 in 50 overs. Chasing 304 for victory, India were well on course due to a majestic century by Rohit. At one stage, India was at 191 with just one wicket down.

Rohit was dismissed in the 47th over and at that time India needed 35 runs off 23 balls. Dhoni was still there at the crease. The match went on till the last over and due to some brilliant bowling by Kagiso Rabada, India fell short by 5 runs.

Spare a thought for Rohit though. He was magnificent in his innings of 150 off just 133 balls which included 13 fours and 6 sixes. If only he stayed there for few more overs, India would have started the series on a winning note.

#1 171* vs Australia at Perth in 2016

171* against Australia.

Very recently, Rohit was again the victim of scoring big in a losing cause. In the first ODI of the bilateral series down under, India got off to a good start after winning the toss. Record partnership of 207 runs between Rohit and Virat helped India to a big score of 309 runs. At one stage it looked like Rohit was eyeing his third double hundred in the ODIs.

His batting was yet again amazing. He always enjoys the pace and bounce off the pitch and is perhaps the best player against the short ball right now. He carried his bat through the innings and thanks to his big hitting, in the end, India reached a total of 309 in the 50 overs.

Defending the total, India started off with 2 quick wickets. The debutant quickie Barinder Sran accounted for both the openers and left Australia struggling at 21/2. But then the biggest lover of Indian bowling Steve Smith and George Bailey combined to form a partnership of 242 runs. Both scored hundreds and Australia won the match by 5 wickets without any hiccups.