India vs Sri Lanka: Virat Kohli surpasses Rohit Sharma in elite list of T20I run-scorers

The right-handed batsman needed just one more run to surpass fellow teammate Rohit Sharma and become the highest run-scorer in the shortest format. He achieved the milestone when he opened his innings with single.

India skipper Virat Kohli achieved a massive T20I world record when ‘Men in Blue’ took on Sri Lanka in the 2nd T20I in Indore on Sunday. The right-handed batsman needed just one more run to surpass fellow teammate Rohit Sharma and become the highest run-scorer in the shortest format. He achieved the milestone when he opened his innings with single.

Virat Kohli. (PTI)

Rohit, who has been rested from the T20I series, is not a part of the team, which allowed Kohli to surpass the Indian opener.

Read | India vs Sri Lanka 2nd T20I: Live score and updates

Kohli was in excellent form during the T20I series against West Indies last month. The skipper smashed 94 runs in 50 balls in the first T20I to help his side chase down the mammoth total of 208. In the 3rd T20I, he smashed an unbeaten 70 in 29 balls and took India’s total to 240/3 in 20 overs, and thus helping his side in picking up an easy win. Kohli will be eager to continue in the same vein of form in the shortest format against Sri Lanka, especially to boost his confidence before the T20I World Cup later this year.

India are entering the contest after consecutive T20I series wins over Bangladesh and West Indies, respectively. The Kohli-led side will be hoping to deliver a similar performance against Sri Lanka, since it is a familiar opposition. India already hold a successful record in T20Is against Sri Lanka, and they will be eager to preserve the stat.

India (won: 5; drawn: 1) have never lost a bilateral T20I series against Sri Lanka and that is bound to set the alarm bells ringing in the opposition camp. They are also on a five-match winning run against Sri Lanka with the visitors’ last T20I victory coming way back in 2016 (Pune).