Rohit Sharma delivered a masterful ODI innings to keep India competitive in the third and final ODI against England at Lord’s on Sunday, July 19. While his explosive century dominated headlines, a curious detail during his knock sparked social media buzz: Sharma was spotted using a bat branded with teammate Shardul Thakur’s name instead of his usual equipment.
Batting with Thakur’s bat, the Indian opener smashed a memorable hundred at the iconic venue, ending a lean patch of eight ODI innings without a fifty-plus score. His 84-ball century not only anchored India’s chase of 388 but also etched his name into the record books.
The 39-year-old became the first Indian batsman to score an ODI century at Lord’s, surpassing Sourav Ganguly’s previous best of 90 at the ground. His 34th ODI hundred further solidified his reputation as one of the format’s greatest. Additionally, Sharma registered his eighth ODI century in England—the most by any visiting batter in a single country. Only Joe Root (10) and Marcus Trescothick (8) have more ODI centuries in England.
Sharma’s 147-run opening stand with Shubman Gill ranks as the second-highest by India at Lord’s in ODIs. His 84-ball ton also ranks third-fastest at the venue, behind Jos Buttler (61 balls) and Clive Lloyd (82 balls). Despite pre-series speculation about retirement, the veteran proved his mettle with a defining performance in a must-win clash.
