Recall the Australian side of the 2000s? We almost are witnessing the same with team India as they have become virtually an unbeatable side at home.
The Indian side under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma have managed to win all seven of their last matches at home and seeing their dominance in the 1st T20I against Sri Lanka, we feel the streak is only to continue.
It was a stroll in the park for the Indian side at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, winning the opener by a comfortable margin of 62 runs. Yes, we usually do coverage on the records broken after the completion of the series but this time around we already have some significant records that were broken after the completion of the 1st T20I.
Hitman stealths his way to the top
The Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has always been in contention to top the list for the highest run-getter in the shortest format, with Martin Guptill deciding to hang his boots, the race was against the run machine- Virat Kohli.
Milestone đź”” - Captain @ImRo45 now sits atop the leading run-scorer in T20Is list đź‘Źđź‘Ź#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/4SzIDCXuTM
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 24, 2022
Kohli, who is currently on a break is just 4 runs away from storming his way to the 2nd spot. Rohit Sharma, who scored a fluent 44 off 32 balls now finds himself at the top of the list with 11 runs more than his fellow teammate. Who do you think will become the first player to achieve the 4000 run milestone?
Top 5 highest run-getters in T20I
Player | Country | Matches | Runs |
Rohit Sharma | India | 123 | 3307 |
Martin Guptill | New Zealand | 112 | 3299 |
Virat Kohli | India | 97 | 3296 |
Paul Stirling | Ireland | 102 | 2776 |
Aaron Finch | Australia | 88 | 2686 |
Glorious 10
India's impeccable performance has landed them some incredible records and they are just three wins away from etching their names in the record books. The Men in Blue are currently only the second Test-playing nation after Afghanistan to win 10 consecutive T20I matches.
The only other teams to achieve the feat are Uganda (11), Afghanistan (11), Romania (12*), and Afghanistan again with 12 wins. Romania are on a streak of their own and are just one win away from overtaking Afghanistan. Can team India join the Afghans at the end of this series?
India's streak started against Afghanistan in November of the last year and their opponents include Scotland, Namibia, New Zealand, West Indies, and currently Sri Lanka.
1 away from the double
As we know team India leads the tally of most 200 and plus scores in T20Is, reaching the mark on 19 occasions. Team India were just one run away from becoming the first team to achieve the mark on 20 occasions (including the non-Test playing nations).
Do you know how many occasions have teams finished at 199? Well, on 8 occasions to date and no this is not the first time India has finished on 199, the first time was against South Africa in 2015. West Indies is the only other team to finish on 199 on two occasions. Can India breach the 200 mark in this series?
Sri Lanka’s ordeal against India
Sri Lanka have a poor head-to-head record against India in the shortest format and the loss against India in the 1st T20I now means that Sri Lanka have now lost 15 T20Is against India which is their most losses against any nation in this format. On the other hand, team India seems to enjoy playing the Lankan side as they have registered 15 wins against them which is their highest against any team in T20Is. The second most wins for India is against Australia and West Indies (13).
Sharma stamps his authority
We all know how much Rohit Sharma loves the Lankan side as it was against them he scored the mammoth 264 runs, which is still the highest individual score in ODIs. The 34-year old is now just 43 runs away from becoming the highest run-getter in this fixture. He also now tops the list of six-hitters in this fixture, with 15 sixes, he is now one clear of Sri Lankan batsman -Kusal Perera.
Unstoppable Mr. Captain
Yes, do not worry, it is Rohit Sharma once again who is the center of attention. With 10 consecutive wins as skipper, he is yet to taste defeat after being appointed the permanent skipper of India. He now holds a unique and prestigious record of being the most successful skipper after the first 25 matches. Rohit has managed to win 22 matches out of 26 at a win percentage of 84.61%. The second best is the former Afghanistan skipper- Asghar Stanikzai with 81.73%. An impressive start to his captaincy career right?
With records tumbling in the opening encounter, the next two matches stand to be thrilling encounters. Given the current form of the Indian side, we feel they are well en route to breaking Afghanistan’s record for the most consecutive wins. Can the Sri Lankan side spring a surprise?
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Cover Credits: BCCIoffical