Kohli becomes first batsman to score 3000 T20I runs

Virat Kohli on Sunday did what he does best, anchoring a chase and taking India home in the second T20I against England in Ahmedabad. As he hit the winning runs, he became the first batsman to score 3000 runs in T20 internationals. Walking out to bat with India rocked early at 0/1, Kohli forged a fifty-run stand with debutant Ishan Kishan to bring India back in the game. Kohli hit the winning runs with a six, which took him to the landmark.

Kohli remained unbeaten on 73 off just 49 deliveries to help India level the five-match series at 1-1. He hit five boundaries and three sixes in his knock. Kohli's return to run-scoring form is crucial for the hosts. He was dismissed for a duck in the first match of the series.

The Indian captain is right on top of the run-scoring chart in T20 internationals, with 3001 runs from 87 matches at an average of 50.86. He is followed by New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill, who has 2839 runs from 99 games at an average of 32.36. At No. 3 is Kohli's deputy Rohit Sharma, with 2773 runs.

Kohli had a rather underwhelming Test series against England and he would want to change that in the limited-overs leg against the 'Three Lions'. 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 remaining three T20Is. It is a format where he still doesn't have a century in international cricket.

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 Rohit. New Zealand's Guptill too has been a big force in the format. But Rohit - who has four centuries in the format which is a world record - and Guptill - whose average is just above 32 - have played far more T20I innings than Kohli.