• Home
  • Player Stories
  • When Rohit Sharmas Epic 115 Helped India Pull Off Historic Series Win In South Africa

When Rohit Sharma's Epic 115 Helped India Pull Off Historic Series Win In South Africa

image-lsk530n0Rohit Sharma [X.com]

Without fetching the ultimate reward for it, Rohit Sharma reinforced his class and presence among the pantheons of Indian One-Day International greats at the ICC World Cup 2023 in October-November. The veteran opener batted with supreme command and belligerence against the new ball, hitting 597 runs in 11 innings at a strike-rate above 120. 

Rohit, though, made just one century despite looking ominous touch for the opposition attacks during the quadrennial event. Since transforming into a beast of a top-order aggressor, the experienced batter has compromised his consistency for the sheer impact and influence he can provide for the rest of the line-up and made only three ODI hundreds in the post-2020 era. 

Before this, Rohit's six-year reign as an opener from 2013 until the end of 2019 featured 26 centuries in his most prolific format, with the great batter smashing 6,966 runs at an average of 59.53 and strike-rate of 92.57 for the period. 


When Rohit Smashed Epic Ton In South Africa

One of Rohit's finest hundreds of this phase came today (February 13), six years back, when he helped India clinch a historic series win in South Africa. Playing the fifth match of the ODI series in Gqeberha, Rohit shed his inconsistency for the tour and played a magnificent knock of 115. 

On a challenging surface offering South Africa pacers steep bounce and late movement, Rohit produced one of his finest hundreds, elevating India's score to an imposing 274/7 when the next highest score for the innings was just 36 from modern-day legend Virat Kohli. 

The great right-hander earned the most deserving 'Player of the Match' as India retained their dominance over the Proteas and took an unassailable 4-1 series lead in the rare six-match rubber. 

It was India's first bilateral series win in ODIs in South Africa and only their second overall at the time against the historic nemesis since beating them 3-2 at home in a five-match series played in the year 2000. India have since defeated South Africa in two other ODI series at home in 2022 and away in 2023.