Rohit Sharma's top 5 ODI knocks in Sri Lanka

India will take on Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the three-match series at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday, August 2. The Men in Blue come into the series on the back of a 3-0 whitewash over the hosts in the T20Is.

India will be led by their regular skipper Rohit Sharma, and it will be exciting to see how he fares against a rather depleted Lankan attack. Rohit has enjoyed batting in and against Sri Lanka in the past.

In this listicle, we take a look at Rohit Sharma's top five ODI knocks in Sri Lanka:

#1 124* vs Sri Lanka, Pallekele, 2017

Rohit's highest ODI score in Sri Lanka came against the hosts in a match in 2017 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele. Sri Lanka batted first and were restricted to 217-9, thanks to Jasprit Bumrah's 5-27.

India, in response, lost Rohit's fellow opener Shikhar Dhawan early, along with skipper Virat Kohli. KL Rahul added a few runs with Rohit but could not convert his start into a big score, and Kedar Jadhav fell for naught.

Rohit Sharma, however, kept going and constructed a crafty century to remain unbeaten on 124 along with wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni, who scored 64 not out to help the Indians cross the line.

#2 104 vs Sri Lanka, Colombo, 2017

Rohit scored his second century in Sri Lanka, merely four days after he had scored his first in Pallekele. Played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, India beat the hosts by a whopping 168 runs in this encounter.

The Men in Blue batted first, with Rohit and skipper Virat Kohli making merry at the expense of the Lankans. Both scored tons, with Rohit getting out only after he got to 104. Kohli ended with 131.

MS Dhoni and Manish Pandey provided a late assault to help India get to 375-5, which they defended quite comfortably. The hosts were bowled out for 207 in just 42.4 overs.

#3 74* vs Nepal, Pallekele 2023

Rohit Sharma's third-highest knock in Sri Lanka, interestingly, did not come against the hosts. This was the unbeaten 74 he scored against Nepal in the 2023 Asia Cup, which was hosted by Sri Lanka.

Played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele, India were set a steep target of 231 to chase by Nepal, who seemed confident of getting their first win over their 'elder' brothers.

Rain played a part in this game, and India, having raced to 147 without loss in twenty overs, were awarded the game via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. Rohit and Shubman Gill remained unbeaten on 74 and 67 respectively.

#4 69 vs Sri Lanka, Dambulla, 2010

Rohit Sharma put up a strong show of confidence when he was still a greenhorn in the Indian side and managed to score 69 in Dambulla in the 2010 ODI series. India, however, were bowled out for 209 while batting first in this game.

Rohit, of course, was not an opener back then and came in at number four after Gautam Gambhir and Dinesh Karthik had got the men in blue off to a good start. His 69 came off 73 balls and included seven boundaries.

In response, the Lankans, led by half-centuries from skipper Kumar Sangakkara (73) and Mahela Jayawardene (53 not out), chased the target down comfortably, despite Zaheer Khan picking up a couple of wickets.

#5 56 vs Pakistan, Colombo, 2023

Rohit Sharma also holds the distinction of having scored a half-century against India's arch-rivals and neighbors Pakistan on Sri Lankan soil. This took place in the 2023 Asia Cup, which, as mentioned earlier, was hosted by the Lankans.

India batted first and put up a mammoth 356-2 thanks to centuries from Virat Kohli (122*) and KL Rahul (111*) while openers Rohit (56) and Shubman Gill (58) too contributed handsomely.

Pakistan could not quite bear the force of the Indian bowling attack (Kuldeep Yadav took a five-wicket haul) and were blown away to get all out for a mere 128 in just 32 overs, handing the men in blue victory by a whopping 228 runs.