Rohit Sharma joins the club of players with 12 thousand ODI runs, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's record

Records were broken in Guwahati: the target of 406 runs was surpassed, and India secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. Although West Indies managed to score an impressive 405/7 on Wednesday (September 30), Shubman Gill's and Rohit Sharma's batting made this target insignificant. India won the match by scoring 406/2 in just 43.3 overs, ensuring a confident lead in the three-match series.

Captain Shubman Gill demonstrated incredible play that entered the ODI record books. He reached a double century off 117 balls, marking the fastest double century in 50-over cricket. In his innings, Gill scored 133 runs, hitting 26 fours and 8 sixes.

This achievement allowed Gill to surpass Ishan Kishan's record, who had previously scored a double century off 126 balls in ODIs. Furthermore, it was Gill's 11th century in ODIs, which he achieved in just 62 balls, making it the fastest century in ODI format.

At the other end of the pitch, Rohit Sharma played in his usual style. He scored 101 runs off 75 balls, utilizing powerful drives down the ground and pick-up shots. During this innings, Rohit also crossed the 12,000-run mark in ODIs, becoming the seventh player globally to reach this milestone and the third Indian after Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.

The start of the match was very strong: Gill and Rohit attacked the West Indies bowlers, and India scored 100 runs in just 12 overs. Gill completed his half-century in 38 balls, and Rohit in 32 balls.

By the 22nd over, India's score without loss stood at 200 runs. In the chase of over 350 runs, this was the first instance in ODIs where the opening pair scored 200 runs. Both players contributed 255 runs to the team for the first wicket. This partnership was broken after 26.2 overs when Rohit was dismissed after scoring 101 runs. At that point, India needed 151 more runs with 24 overs remaining. Gill continued to play aggressively and led the team to victory.

Prior to this, West Indies created a real storm, scoring 405/7, exposing the weakness of the Indian attacking pace. John Campbell scored 101 runs off 68 balls, Shay Hope scored 104 off 94 balls, and Amir Jangu scored 114 off 77 balls. Campbell reached a century in just 65 balls, displaying an aggressive style similar to Chris Gayle, including 9 fours and 5 sixes.

Hope, who was caught early by Virat Kohli, managed to stabilize the innings and then started scoring runs, hitting 8 fours and 3 sixes. Jangu achieved his second ODI century in just 69 balls, hitting 13 fours and 3 sixes. Thus, West Indies recorded three centuries in ODIs for the first time and surpassed their previous best score of 389 runs.

However, the Indian bowlers faced questions. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, young players were given a chance, but the results raised doubts. Akib Nabi conceded 84 runs in 8.5 overs, becoming the best Indian bowler in terms of runs conceded in his debut ODI. Guruveer Bar took 2 wickets, conceding 96 runs in 10 overs, while Prasidh Krishna took one wicket, conceding 45 runs in 5 overs. Naman Dir sustained an ankle injury during the game and left the field after 6.1 overs.

A positive aspect for India was that Kuldeep Yadav completed his 200 wickets in ODIs, taking 2/65. Ravindra Jadeja also performed well, taking 2/75.

Historical context: India became the second team after South Africa to chase a score of over 400 in ODI history. Previously, the Indian team had reached a score above 400 eight times, but all these instances occurred in the first half of the match.

In the match between India and West Indies, players from the West Indies demonstrated strong play, dealing a serious blow to the Indian bowlers. John Campbell, Shai Hope, and Amir Jangu each scored a century, bringing the West Indies total to 405 runs. In rainy conditions, Kuldeep Yadav recorded a significant record.

In his 123rd ODI match, Kuldeep Yadav completed his 200th wicket, becoming the second fastest bowler in Indian history to reach this milestone. He is only surpassed by Mohammed Shammi, who took 200 wickets in 104 ODIs. Following him are Ajit Agarkar (133), Zaheer Khan (144), and Anil Kumble/Javagal Srinath (147).

Kuldeep secured his 200th wicket of Kemi Paul, who was caught by Virat Kohli in the long-on region after 45.1 overs. This moment marked Kuldeep's achievement of a double century in ODIs. Furthermore, Kuldeep surpassed Shane Warne in the number of balls required to achieve 200 ODI wickets, completing them in only 6319 deliveries. Among spinners, only Shaklan Mushtaq (5451) and Rashid Khan (5782) achieved this result with fewer balls. Following Kuldeep are Adam Jampa (6385), Adil Rashid (6881), and Shane Warne (6983).

Despite the record attack by the West Indies, Kuldeep remained among the few Indian bowlers who managed to partially contain the pace of the game. In his full quota of 10 overs, he took 2 wickets, conceding 65 runs, resulting in an economy rate of 6.50.

Before the West Indies reached 405 runs, Campbell scored 101 runs off 68 balls, Hope scored 104 runs off 94 balls, and Jangu scored 114 runs off just 77 balls. This was a rare sight in one ODI match where three batsmen score a century.

A few months ago, the question of whether this was the final stage of Rohit Sharma's international career hung over every ODI match. However, the situation has changed. Although the 2027 World Cup is still far off, Shubman Gill is leading the Indian squad, and young players are constantly vying for a spot in the starting lineup as openers.

Despite this, it has become harder to ignore Rohit. When the Indian team for the three-match ODI series against the West Indies was announced, Rohit Sharma's name appeared on the list again. Alongside him were options such as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ritwick Ghosh. Thus, this selection is not a decision to block one player's path, but part of the process of forming the team for 2027.

But the real turning point in this story is not the presence of Rohit's name in the squad. The main story is how the path from question to answer regarding Rohit Sharma changed in two months.

After Shubman Gill was entrusted with the captaincy in ODIs, Rohit's role completely transformed. Now, the entire team was not built around him; he was just a batsman, and his place depended on his performance, like all other players.

This change was particularly significant because Rohit now plays only ODIs for India. After retiring from Tests and T20 Internationals, he has limited chances left to prove his form. In such circumstances, a poor run of form becomes not just a poor run, but part of the debate about the squad.

In Australia, Rohit demonstrated that the story was not over, scoring 73 and then an unbeaten 121 runs. However, in the subsequent 11 matches, he scored 57, 14, 75, 26, 24, 11, 16, 48, 79, 11, and 26 runs.

Among these were innings of 75 and 79, but there was no single big, decisive innings that could outweigh all other discussions.

Then came the series against England. In Birmingham, he scored 11 runs, and in Cardiff, 26 runs off 47 balls. The questions became even sharper: should Rohit even be considered until 2027? Is it time to promote young openers?

England posted a substantial total of 387 runs. To chase this target, India needed an innings that could take control of the match. Rohit did exactly that...

He scored 138 runs off just 110 balls, including 17 fours and 5 sixes. Although India ultimately lost the match by 27 runs, Rohit won another match that day—the debate about his future.

This innings was important not because Rohit scored another hundred, but because it happened at a time when there were the most questions about his future. The 39-year-old batsman showed that despite his age and recent form statistics, his bat still has the ability to deliver an ODI innings capable of changing the course of a match.

It was at this point that the question changed. The initial question was: how much longer does Rohit need to play? Now the question is: if Rohit continues to deliver such innings, how can he be dropped?

This does not mean that Rohit's ticket to the 2027 World Cup is guaranteed. It would be hasty to assume so. India has several options at the top. Yashasvi Jaiswal could be part of the long-term plan. Ritwick Ghosh is also present in the ODI squad. Shubman Gill has already become the captain and central batsman of the team. The BCCI included these options in the ODI against the West Indies.

This means that Rohit should not occupy a spot based on privilege. He must score runs, stay in form, and constantly prove his worth. However, 138 runs at Lord's were enough to make the door for Rohit look open again.

The real test begins now. The series against the West Indies starts on September 27, and all three matches will be held in India. Following this, ODI series against New Zealand in November, Sri Lanka in December, and Zimbabwe in January 2027 are scheduled. This gives India many opportunities to test its ODI squad before the 2027 World Cup. For Rohit, this is also a real test.

One big innings changed the debate, but did not end it. 138 runs at Lord's did not secure him a place in the 2027 team, but they complicated the task for selectors—Rohit Sharma cannot be ruled out of the future picture from the start.

In cricket, the greatest strength of great players often lies not only in their statistics. It is the ability to play such an innings when the whole world starts considering you an old character in history, forcing them to rewrite that history.

Rohit Sharma did something similar at Lord's. His ticket to the 2027 World Cup is not yet in anyone's hands, but he proved one thing: when planning India's path, his name cannot be ignored.