Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma scored 264 runs off 173 balls during the fourth ODI of Sri Lanka tour of India in 2014, which till date remains the highest individual score in ODI cricket.
By the time India entered the fourth ODI, the Men in Blue had already conquered the series, winning each of their first three matches. In what was a rather dead rubber, Rohit Sharma went on to score more runs alone than the entire Sri Lankan team could manage (251).
During his record innings, he first played a 201-run partnership with Virat Kohli followed by a 128-run stand off 59 balls with Robin Uthappa as India posted 404/5 on board. India’s deadly bowling attack did the rest as the team registered their fourth victory by an impressive margin of 153 runs.
Interestingly enough, by that time, he had already breached the 200-run benchmark in the 50-over format. During the seventh and the final ODI of Australia tour of India in 2013, the Indian opener smashed 209 off 158 balls to become only the third player to cross the 200-run landmark. At the time of writing, however, this is the sixth-highest individual score in the format.
Meanwhile, second place belongs to New Zealand’s Martin Guptill who smashed an unbeaten 163-ball 237 against West Indies during the quarter-final of the 2015 Cricket World Cup. During his innings that lasted 223 minutes, he hit 24 fours and 11 sixes.
Following Guptill in the list for the highest individual score in ODI is former India opener Virender Sehwag. On December 8, 2011, Sehwag, captaining the India team against West Indies, scored 219 runs off 149 balls as the hosts posted 418/5 on board. During that carnage in Indore, Sehwag hit 25 fours which is the joint-most number of boundaries a player has hit in an ODI innings.
The likes of Chris Gayle (215) and Fakhar Zaman (210*) complete the top five list for the highest individual score in ODI cricket. Interestingly enough, only eight players have crossed the 200-run landmark in the 50-over format, with Sachin Tendulkar being the first-ever player to do so. Furthermore, Rohit Sharma is the only player to score more than 200 runs on three different occasions.
Highest individual score in ODI
| Player | Team | Opposition | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
| Rohit Sharma | India | Sri Lanka | 264 | 173 | 33 | 9 |
| Martin Guptill | New Zealand | West Indies | 237* | 163 | 24 | 11 |
| Virender Sehwag | India | West Indies | 219 | 149 | 25 | 7 |
| Chris Gayle | West Indies | Zimbabwe | 215 | 147 | 10 | 16 |
| Fakhar Zaman | Pakistan | Zimbabwe | 210* | 156 | 24 | 5 |
| Ishan Kishan | India | Bangladesh | 210 | 131 | 24 | 10 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | Australia | 209 | 158 | 12 | 16 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | Sri Lanka | 208* | 153 | 13 | 12 |
| Shubman Gill | India | New Zealand | 208 | 149 | 19 | 9 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | South Africa | 200* | 147 | 25 | 3 |
Featured photo: AFP / Sajjad Hussain
