India vs Australia: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli are chasing these records
India's captain and vice-captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are chasing a special record each ahead of the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series against Australia.
Rohit is 56 runs away from becoming second fastest Indian and overall, the third-fastest batsman to record 9,000 runs in ODIs, while Kohli needs to register a century to equal Ricky Ponting in the list of most international centuries.
The list has Sachin Tendulkar on the top with 100 tons, while Ponting with 71 centuries is on the second spot ahead of Kohli, who has already scored 70 tons having debuted in 2008. On the fourth spot is former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara with 63 international centuries ahead of Jaque Kallis' 62.
Rohit and Kohli will aim to reach the milestone during India'supcoming series, which is scheduled to begin on Tuesday. India and Australia are set to play three ODIs. Even if Rohit took three innings to score his next 56 runs, he will still clinch the record.
India's limited-overs deputy currently has 8,944 runs from 214 innings. The record belongs to Kohli, who touched the 9K-mark in only 194 innings. On the list to the fastest batsmen to 9,000 ODI runs, he is ahead of retired cricketers, AB de Villiers (205 innings) and Sourav Ganguly (228 innings).
If Rohit bags the record in the upcoming series against Australia, he will surpass BCCI president and former Indian captain, Ganguly. Indian cricketing legend Tendulkar is fourth on the list having reached 9,000 ODI runs in as many as 235 innings.
India's three-ODI series against West Indies last month was the last time Rohit played for India as he skipped the subsequent Sri Lanka series. He is coming off a hundred and a half-century and will aim to replicate the same dominance against the Aussie.
The last time Australia toured India, the tourists won both the series – ODIs and T20Is. The result was special for the Aussies as they were without their key men, David Warner and Steven Smith.