India opener KL Rahul looks all set to become the fastest batsman to 1000 T20I runs as an opener when India take on New Zealand in the fourth T20I of the five-match series at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Friday.
India have registered comprehensive victories in all the three matches of the series so far and Rahul played a key role during each of those matches. He scored 56 off just 27 deliveries during their chase of 204 runs in the first T20I and followed it up with another responsible knock of an unbeaten 57 off 50 deliveries in the second T20I. Although he didn’t cross the 50-run mark in the third T20I, his knock of 27 did give India a solid start.
The 27-year-old now has 938 runs to his name as an opener in just 22 innings at an excellent average of 46.9. So he needs just 62 runs more to reach the milestone of 1000 T20I runs as an opener.
Australia skipper Aaron Finch currently holds the record for being the fastest opener to 1000 runs in T20 internationals. He achieved the feat in 29 innings. Hence, Rahul has seven more innings to reach the landmark and still be the fastest to this milestone. Unless he encounters a sudden rough patch, he could be expected to rewrite the record by the end of this series, even if not in the next match.
| Players | Innings |
| Aaron Finch (AUS) | 29 |
| Alex Hales (ENG) | 32 |
| Chris Gayle (WI) | 34 |
| Brendon McCullum (NZ) | 35 |
| David Warner (AUS) | 37 |
| Hashim Amla (SA) | 37 |
Table: Fastest batsmen to 1000 T20I runs as opener
Overall, Rahul has 1377 T20I runs to his name in 36 innings at a superb average of 45.90 once again. These runs include 13 scores of fifty-plus, two of which have been converted into centuries. And 10 of these scores of fifty or more have come as an opener.
Recently, he also became the joint third-fastest and the second fastest Indian to 1000 T20I runs overall. He reached the landmark in 29 innings and equaled Finch’s record. Only Babar Azam and Virat Kohli were faster as they reached the milestone in 26 and 27 innings respectively.