What the West Indies ODI Series Means to Rohit Sharma

For Rohit Sharma, the West Indies ODI series could be about more than the result. A series of batting milestones are within reach, spanning runs, boundaries and centuries. These are targets heading into the series, not records he has already achieved.

A century would make Rohit, at 39, the first player to score an ODI hundred in India at that age. It would also make him the oldest ODI centurion against West Indies and give him the most ODI centuries against West Indies by an Indian opener.

Six-hitting offers two more targets: Rohit needs 12 sixes to reach 100 against West Indies across international cricket, and six sixes to take the record for the most against them in ODIs.

With 18 fours, he would reach 2,000 fours in international cricket. Another 185 runs would take him past the most ODI runs by an opener against West Indies, while 135 runs would bring up 10,000 ODI runs as an opener.

He is also 38 runs away from the most runs by an opener in winning matches, and needs 105 runs to complete 12,000 ODI runs overall.

Whether he reaches any of these marks will depend on his opportunities and performances during the series. Taken together, the targets show how much is at stake for Rohit each time he walks out to bat against West Indies.