Asia Cup 2022: Key milestones within sight of Indian players
India start as the heavy favorite in the Asia Cup, commencing later this evening. The Rohit Sharma-led side will kickstart their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday. The Men in Blue would be hoping to pocket a record-extending eighth title. In addition, Indian players seek a plethora of milestones which could be attained during the course of the tourney. We look at the same.
Kohli seeks his 100th T20I appearance
Virat Kohli (99) will mark his 100th T20I appearance. He will achieve this milestone in the high-octane clash against Pakistan. He would become just the second cricketer to play 100 matches in each of the three formats. Former New Zealand batter Ross Taylor remains the only player with this record. Kohli is one of the few batters who excelled in all three formats simultaneously.
Rohit to reclaim the leading run-getter title (T20Is)
Rohit is currently seated second in terms of leading run-scorers in T20Is. The Mumbaikar owns 3,487 runs in 132 matches, averaging 32.28. He can usurp New Zealand's Martin Guptill (3,497) to become the format's leading run-getter. He also eyes the monumental 3,500-run mark. Notably, Rohit will become the first cricketer to attain the feat in T20I cricket.
Jadeja can attain this laud-worthy feat
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is one of India's valuable players in T20Is. The slow left-arm orthodox has snapped up 22 scalps in the Asia Cup, equalling Irfan Pathan's tally. He is one short of becoming India's highest wicket-taker in the tourney.
Pant inching close to 1,000 T20I runs
Wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant has slammed 883 runs across 54 T20Is. He is 117 short of attaining the 1,000-run mark. He will become only the ninth Indian batter to notch the feat. Rohit (3,487), Kohli (3,308), KL Rahul (1,831) Shikhar Dhawan (1,759), MS Dhoni (1,617), Suresh Raina (1,605), Yuvraj Singh (1,177), and Shreyas Iyer (1,029) own 1000 or more T20I runs for India.
Rahul close to attaining this T20I feat
Since debuting in T20Is in 2016, KL Rahul has accumulated 1,831 runs across 54 matches. According to ESPNcricinfo, Rahul needs 169 runs to reach the 2,000-run mark in the format. He will become the 18th batter with 2,000 or more runs in T20I cricket.
DK can rally himself to 7,000 T20 runs
Dinesh Karthik has been a class act all throughout this year in T20s. He has 563 runs while striking at an astonishing 57.70. As per ESPNcricinfo, he is 154 short of completing 7,000 T20 runs. Notably, the right-hander will become only the seventh Indian batter to attain the feat besides Kohli (10,626), Rohit (10,337), Dhawan (9,235), Raina (8,654), Robin Uthappa (7,272), and Dhoni (7,167).
Pandya eyes this record
Hard-hitting all-rounder Hardik Pandya debuted in T20Is in 2016. Since then, he has compiled 834 runs in 67 matches, striking at a phenomenal 144.04. He could reach 1,000 T20I runs, given his red-hot form in the limited-overs this year.
SKY seeks the number 1 T20I Batting Rankings
Suryakumar Yadav is arguably the best batter in T20Is at present. He has all the shots in his arsenal and plays T20 as they should. He ranks second in the ICC Men's T20I Ranking s for batters, with a rating of 805. A good show with the bat versus Pakistan could see SKY overthrow Babar Azam (818) as the number 1 ranked batter.
Chahal and Bhuvi eye these numbers
Yuzvendra Chahal has taken 79 T20I scalps at 23.94. He can become the first Indian bowler to surpass 80 scalps and also close in on Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul (85 each). Bhuvneshwar Kumar can get to 75 T20I scalps (73).
