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Virat Kohli on the cusp of huge record ahead of 1st T20I against England
Indian captain Virat Kohli's T20I average mirrors that of his ODI and Test ones and he continues to be the only cricketer to average above 50 in all three formats.
T20 is a format where batsmen are judged primarily on their strike-rate and not average, because of the short length of the matches. Most batsmen don't get to spend a lot of time in the middle and hence averages don't make the most attractive readings. But one man has changed that perception. Indian captain Virat Kohli's T20I average mirrors that of his ODI and Test ones and he continues to be the only cricketer to average above 50 in all three formats.
Kohli might not be the biggest hitter of the ball in T20Is but his consistency is outstanding. He is deservingly the highest run-getter in the format globally, and continues to be involved in a close fight with his deputy Rohit Sharma, who is in hot pursuit in number 3. New Zealand's Martin Guptill ranks second in the run charts and he too has been a big force in the format.But both Rohit, who has four centuries in the format which is a world record, and Guptill average just above 32 and have played far more T20I innings than Kohli.
The Indian captain is yet to score an international century in the format but has 25 scores of above fifty, including a career best 94 not out. When he comes out to bat against England on Friday in the first T20I in Ahmedabad, Kohli will be on the cusp of a huge record. He could become the first player to get past the 3000-run mark in the format in international cricket. Kohli currently has 2928 runs from 79 innings, and needs 72 more to reach the mark.
Rohit Sharma needs 227 runs to reach the mark but given the kind of form he is in and his penchant for big scores in the format, he could challenge Virat for the record. The fact that Rohit opens and Virat comes in at number 3 also gives the former an edge.
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Kohli had a rather underwhelming Test series against the Three Lions and he would want to change that in limited overs cricket. He is tied with Ricky Ponting for the record of most centuries by a captain in international cricket and would love to make the record his own by slamming a ton in the format where he still doesn't have a century.
Beware Eoin Morgan and England, a hungry Virat Kohli is waiting for you.
