Ind vs Eng 2021: Virat Kohli becomes the first player to score 3000 T20I runs

The Indian skipper Virat Kohli has become the first player to complete 3000 T20I runs, getting there in only 81 innings.

Kohli got back into form as he scored an unbeaten knock of 73 runs from 49 balls and helped his team chase down 165 runs with ease in the second T20I against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Kohli looked at his absolute best as he batted at the top of his game. The hosts had lost the early wicket of KL Rahul in the opening over but the Indian captain stitched a fine alliance of 94 runs off just 54 balls to get the run-chase on track.

Kohli, as he has mostly done in the past, batted till the end to get his team over the line by seven wickets. Thus, the five-match T20I series is tied at 1-1 as England had won the first match by eight wickets.

Meanwhile, former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum had become the first player to score 1000 and 2000 T20I runs, as he had reached the milestone in May 2010 and March 2014 respectively.

Kohli needed another 72 runs to reach the landmark and got to 3000 runs when he pulled Chris Jordan for a six and simultaneously also scored the winning runs for his team.

Kohli is one of the most consistent batsmen in the world but his form has come under the scrutiny in the recent past. The Indian skipper had scored the last International century back in 2019 when he scored a hundred in the pink-ball Test match against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Meanwhile, Martin Guptill is at the second place, with 2,839 T20I runs in the format. The Kiwi opener has played 99 matches and averages 32.26 in the competition. Rohit Sharma is the third highest run-getter with 2,773 runs in 108 innings. The flamboyant batsman has scored four tons and 21 half-centuries in T20Is with an average of 32.62.

The third T20I will take place at the same venue on Tuesday.