Hitting a double hundred in any format of the game is a stunning batting achievement. Limited overs cricket did not have any double centurions in the men’s game until recently.
Sachin Tendulkar, aka the Little Master, debuted into the club against South Africa in India. His miraculous innings opened the doors for several other aspirants to believe that it is possible to achieve this feat in the men’s game as well.
Indian batters, in particular, made merry as over the course of the last decade, Virender Sehwag (once) and Rohit Sharma (thrice) hit double hundreds at will.
Martin Guptil also smashed an unbeaten 237 against West Indies, as did Chris Gayle and Fakhar Zaman. Ishan Kishan recently joined the esteemed list with a brilliant knock against Sri Lanka and Shubman Gill became the latest player on the roster with a blazing display of batting against New Zealand.
On the back of these two new inductees, it is perhaps time to realize that the ODI format is likely to see more double hundreds in the coming days. On that note, let us take a look at three Indian batters who despite not hitting a double hundred yet, can do so in the near future.
King Kohli has ruled international cricket in the last decade. Despite a slump in form for two years, Kohli’s overall batting has earned him a place alongside the legends of the game.
A dominant batter across all formats, Kohli specialises in limited overs cricket. His ability to hit the ball where and when he wants to has allowed to chase down ridiculous totals with absurd ease, earning him the monicker ‘Chase Master’.
Since making his senior debut in 2008, Kohli has racked up 12762 runs in ODI cricket, with 46 centuries to his name. However, a double hundred continues to elude the former Indian skipper.
The good news is that the King is now back in form. He has smashed three centuries in his last six innings, including a 166* against Sri Lanka. His last hundred had glimpses of vintage Kohli, who would hit with such accuracy and timing that it almost made it redundant to have fielders on the field.
Batting at No. 3, Kohli has set himself up nicely for 2023. With the Indian team playing several games in the ODI format this year, Kohli will look to join the 200s club sooner rather than later.
Suryakumar Yadav made a late debut for his country at the age of 30. He had to work hard to earn the mileage for the call-up to the national team. It shows in his sincerity towards the game and the rage with which he bats whenever on the pitch.
SKY, as he is fondly known on the circuit, has taken the world by storm courtesy of his swashbuckling batting. He has a devastating mark in the shortest format of the game, scoring as many as three centuries in six months and becoming the No. 1 batter in the world in T20Is.
He has an unbelievable strike rate of 180.34 in the shortest format and given his form and range, it should not come as a surprise if he manages to score a double century in ODIs.
He is yet to cement a place in the 50-over format, but given his form, fans will back him to come good in the middle-order. Should he stick around, bank on him to score that double hundred, given the way he goes around batting.
Rahul has been on a poor run of form of late but anybody who has seen him bat at his best is aware of the class possessed by him. The vice-captain is an elegant player who has an immaculate timing sense as well.
He is a player who is capable of playing the long innings once set and that gives him the edge to reach a double hundred. He also has a wide array of shots, can upgrade his strike rate through the course of an inning, and hit the ball into gaps in the later overs. All this puts him in the range of becoming yet another Indian batter who can break the 200-run mark in ODI cricket.
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