India captain Virat Kohli has begun the New Year on a high as he has overtaken his teammate Rohit Sharma on the list of most runs scored in T20I cricket.
Virat Kohli needed just 1 run to become the batsman with most runs in the T20I format. Notably, Kohli and Rohit Sharma ended 2019 at the joint-top spot as they had amassed 2633 runs each.
Virat Kohli overtook Rohit Sharma immediately after walking into bat in the 2nd T20I of the ongoing 3-match series between India and Sri Lanka at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Tuesday.
With Rohit Sharma rested for the T20I series, all that Virat Kohli needed was a push down the ground in the 12th over of India’s chase to go past his vice-captain.
Virat Kohli now has 2636 runs and counting. The India captain has taken 77 matches to get as many runs at a staggering 50-plus average while Rohit Sharma has 2633 runs from 104 matches at an average of little over 30 runs per over.
Kohli will be crucial to India’s plans in the T20 World Cup year. It was surprising that the India captain came in at No.4 in the 1st match of the year instead of his usual No. 3 position.
India were chasing a below-par 143-run target on a good batting track in Indore. KL Rahul continued his good run with the bat by smashing a 32-ball 45 to give India a strong start in the chase. Comeback man Shikhar Dhawan failed to impress as he struggled to time the ball well during his 29-ball 32.
Earlier in the day, the India bowlers made a great start to the New Year, restricting Sri Lanka to 142 for 9 in 20 overs. Shardul Thakur picked up 3 wickets in an impressive 19th over, Navdeep Saini shone with figures of 2/18. Kuldeep Yadav chipped in with 2 wickets and Jasprit Bumrah picked up a wicket on his comeback after a 4-month injury layoff.