India v Sri Lanka: Captain Rohit Sharma overtook Virat Kohli and Martin Guptill to become the top run scorer in T20I format in Lucknow on Thursday.
IND vs. SL: Rohit Sharma sets new world record and becomes leading T20I scorer (AP Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Rohit Sharma became the leading run scorer in T20Is
- Rohit Sharma topped Martin Guptill’s 3299 run tally
- Rohit Sharma reached the T20I milestone in the series launch
Indian captain Rohit Sharma set a new world record on Thursday when he overtook New Zealand’s Martin Guptill to become the top run scorer in T20I cricket. Rohit also passed his former captain Virat Kohli and advanced from 3rd place to become number one on the batting chart in the shortest format of the game.
Rohit Sharma needed 37 runs before the first T20I against Sri Lanka and he reached the milestone in the series opener at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekanta Stadium on Friday.
India vs. Sri Lanka, 1st T20I: Live updates
Rohit surpassed Martin Guptill’s 3299 tally and Kohli’s 3296 tally with a strong start in the first T20I against the visiting Sri Lankan. Rohit is also eyeing another major milestone as he is just two games away from breaking Shoaib Malik’s record as the most-seeded T20I player in the format’s history.
Rohit has 3301 runs in 123 games at an average of over 32. He has 400 in stature, the most by an Indian in T20Is. Virat Kohli had an opportunity to pass Guptill during the recently concluded 3-match T20I series against the West Indies. Although Kohli hit a fifty in the 2nd T20I, he fell 4 heats short of the world record.
Kohli was rested for the 3rd T20I against the West Indies and for the entire ongoing series against Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma had a mediocre series against the West Indies, managing just 66 runs in 3 T20Is.
In fact, he sacrificed his front row position in the series finale to give way to Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan. After Rutuaj injured his wrist, Rohit was back in the lead for India in the 1st T20I against Sri Lanka.
Rohit has made a conscious effort to play more aggressively up front since the 2021 T20 World Championship. Last year he scored at home against New Zealand at a breathtaking pace, hitting 159 carries with a batting average of over 150.
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