Rohit Sharma close to elite records in England ahead of ODI series

Rohit Sharma will be all set to lead India for the first time in an ODI series in England. The two sides lock horns for a three-game affair, starting on July 12 at the Oval. The next two games will be played at Lord’s (July 14) and Manchester (July 17).  

The five-time IPL winning captain led the Men in Blue to a 2-1 T20I series win. Batting at the top, he took an aggressive approach and attacked the English battery. However, Sharma failed to convert his starts into big knocks. 

Also read: India vs England ODIs: 5 players to watch out for

Coming into the ODIs, a format Rohit Sharma has dominated for years, the world No 4 will be looking to leapfrog the legendary Viv Richards, Ricky Ponting and Kane Williamson in an elite record. He has 1335 runs in 24 matches in England at a whopping average of 66.75 (in ODIs) and is fourth on the list of topoverseas run-sccorers on English soil. 

Kane Williamson leads the list with 1393 run sin 24 matches.Viv Richards (1345) and Ricky Ponting (1387) are on the third and second spot respectively. 

Sharma, who has three double-hundreds in the format, opened for India for the first time in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, which was held in England. He then smashed five tons in the 2019 World Cup in UK. 

Also Read: India vs England ODI Series: Schedule, squads, timings, venues and more

He can also break Sachin Tendulkar and South Africa great AB de Villiers record for most ODI hundreds in an away country. All three have seven. 

Most ODI hundreds in an away country

7: AB de Villiers in IND

7: Rohit Sharma in ENG*

7: Sachin Tendulkar in UAE

The Indian skipper is third in the list of highest average in an away country with a minimum of thousand runs. 

Highest ODI Average in an Away country (min. 1000 runs)

70.3: AB de Villiers in IND

69.6: Kane Williamson in ENG

66.8: Rohit Sharma in ENG*

64.7: Shikhar Dhawan in ENG*