On This Day in 2015: Chris Gayle's Double Ton in Cricket ODI Coincides with Sachin Tendulkar's 200 in 2010

Universe boss Chris Gayle may have made a late entry to the ODI double centurion club but when he did, it was in his signature style. Scoring a blistering double ton off just 138 balls against Zimbabwe, Gayle not only became the fourth batter to achieve the feat but also the fastest one to do so. Gayle’s double century was also the first in the history of the World Cup. Overall, he scored 215 runs off 147 balls.

Coincidentally, it was on this day in 2010, when Sachin Tendulkar became the first to break the 200 runs barrier in ODI, against South Africa at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior.

So how did the events unfold on the day? Winning the toss in the Pool B match against Zimbabwe, West Indies skipper Jason Holder opted to bat first.

However, the start did not go quite well as per the expectation of the Caribbean team and opened Dwayne Smith was dismissed on the second ball of the innings. Marlon Samuels joined Chris Gayle at the crease and the duo slowly started steering their team away from the effects of an early jolt.

Stitching a crucial partnership, the pair took the WI scorecard past the 50-run mark in the 12th over without losing another wicket. The innings started looking back on track and soon Gayle completed his half-century off 51 balls.

While the West Indian left-hander was looking in good touch,Gaylestorm was nowhere to be seen.

However, after completing his century with a strike rate of nearly running a ball,Gayle changed gears and broke havoc on the Zimbabwe bowling lineup. From scoring 100 in 105 balls,Gayle zoomed to his next 50 in just 21 balls adding five sixes and a boundary to his credit.

The ball hardly remained on the ground for the next 12 deliveries and with shots all across the stadium, Gayle reached his maiden ODI double century in just 138 balls. He went to score 215 runs off 147 deliveries before getting dismissed by Hamilton Masakadza.

Banking on Gayle’s double century and 133 run innings by Marlon Samuels, West Indies set a target of 373 runs for Zimbabwe. This was later revised to 363 from 48 over according to the provision of Duckworth Lewis Method after rain interrupted the match. In their reply Zimbabwe were bowled out for 289, handing a 73 run victory to the Caribbean team.