Reliving Rohit Sharma’s 309-Run Knock Against Gujarat in Ranji Trophy 2009

Rohit Sharma’s legacy in Indian cricket will echo in the pantheons of modern-era legends. The India skipper has been an icon of the sport in the last decade, smashing teams just for fun. He produced one such devastating knock in one of India’s domestic tournaments called the Ranji Trophy in 2009. While playing against Gujarat, Rohit Sharma scored 309 runs to etch his name in the history books.

The Mumbai Cricket Association on Saturday shared a post on X to mark the completion of 14 years since Rohit Sharma’s historic feat. In their post, they wrote, “14 years ago today, #TeamIndia’s Hitman hit one of the greatest knocks in the history of the Ranji Trophy. A legacy in cricket that will forever shine bright!”

Mumbai took on Gujarat in a Group A game of the Ranji Trophy Super League at the Brabourne Stadium back in 2009. The Test match started on a good note for Mumbai which saw Sushant Marathe smash 144 runs in 323 balls. However, that knock was completely overshadowed by what was about to happen next. A young and bright Rohit Sharma came onto the pitch and hit 309 runs while maintaining an impressive strike rate of 95.96. The India opener belted a whopping 38 boundaries and four sixes. He remained unbeaten in the first innings, guiding his side to a 648-run total. Rohit also took some strides in the bowling front during the next innings but was unable to find a wicket in six overs. Gujarat were able to make a good recovery thanks to centuries from Parthiv Patel and Bhavik Thaker. The match was ultimately drawn due to interruption from rainfall in the second innings.

Rohit Sharma has come a long way since his days competing in the nation’s domestic cricket. The Indian batter has scored 18,239 runs for India across all three major formats of the sport. He recently led India at home in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. The Men in Blue won 10 consecutive games in the tournament to make the final in Gujarat. It was Australia on the other bench that separated Rohit’s team from a World Cup crown. In the final game, India ultimately succumbed to an Aussie masterclass that saw them win the match by six wickets. Despite this heartbreaking loss, Rohit had a phenomenal individual campaign with 597 runs. He has since been on an international break and is expected to make a return in India’s Test campaign against South Africa.

In another turn of events, Rohit Sharma has been replaced by Hardik Pandya as the captain of Mumbai Indians. The former Gujarat Titans skipper was recently acquired by the Ambani-owned team in the pre-auction.