Virat Kohli 6 runs shy of completing 1000 runs in T20Is at home
The third and final T20I between India and West Indies has the fate of the series at stake after India won the first match at Hyderabad before losing the second at Trivandrum. With the series to be decided in the third and final match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Indian skipper Virat Kohli would look to lift the trophy and also celebrate a big personal milestone.
In 74 T20Is in his career, Kohli has scored 2563 runs at an average of 51.26, with his unbeaten 94 at Hyderabad being the highest. At home, however, Kohli has played 28 matches and scored 994 runs at an average of 49.70. He hence is only 6 runs shy of touching the 1000-run milestone in the shortest format for India at home.
The 31-year-old, however, wouldn’t be the first batsman in the world to reach the milestone. New Zealand’s Martin Guptill (1430) and Colin Munro (1000) were the first two to breach the 4-digit mark in T20I cricket.
Records have been flowing for Kohli this series. In the Trivandrum encounter, Kohli only managed score 19 runs from his bat before being dismissed by Kesrick Williams. In the process, the Indian skipper had gone past limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma as the highest run-scorer in T20 Internationals.
As for Kohli’s favourite opponents in T20Is at home, the run-machine holds the highest average against Windies (202.00), followed by Australia (76.33) and New Zealand (45.50). Another Virat special could be on the cards in Wankhede as Kohli would look to seal the series with a win.
If India are to lift the trophy at the end of the Wankhede encounter, there are a few issues they would need to address on an immediate basis. One of the major ones is the concerns regarding the team’s fielding. Several opportunities have gone begging in the first two matches, enabling Kieron Pollard & Co. to build bigger partnerships and get a few extra runs from the misfields by Indian players.
