Virat Kohli scripts yet another history, becomes 1st male cricketer to 3,000 T20I runs

Virat Kohli became the first-ever male cricketer to score 3,000 runs in the Twenty 20 Internationals (T20Is) during the second T20I between India and England on Sunday.

He claimed the landmark during his unbeaten knock of 73 off 49 during India's successful chase of 165 that helped the hosts level the series 1-1. After losing the opening T20I last week by eight wickets, Kohli and Co bounced back in style as they sealed the game with seven wickets and seven balls to spare at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.

Ahead of Sunday's game, Kohli was 72 runs away from the milestone. The Indian captain struck five fours and three sixes en route the record. While he was the first male cricketer to 3,000 T20Is, overall, he was the third cricketer to do so after New Zealand batter Suzie Bates and West Indies' Stefanie Taylor. While Suzie has scored 3,301 runs in 119 T20I innings at an average of 30 for the White Ferns, the World Cup-winning skipper Stefanie has scored 3,062 runs in 106 innings at an average of 36.02 for the Windes.

Meanwhile, Kohli – who made his T20I debut in 2010, has scored 3,001 runs in 81 innings at an incredible average of 50.86 for India. He is one of those rare cricketers among the active ones, who averages over 50 across formats. While Kohli has registered as many as 70 international centuries (43 in ODIs and 27 in Tests), he is yet to reach the three-digit mark in the shortest format of the game in the Indian jersey.

The first male cricketer to reach 1,000 runs in the T20Is was former New Zealand batsman Brendon McCullum, who had achieved the milestone in 2010. The BlackCaps explosive batter was also the first cricketer in men's cricket to complete 2,000 runs in the shortest format.

Kohli shared a 94-run stand with debutant Ishan Kishan on Sunday after India lose opening batsman KL Rahul for a duck in the first over. Kishan, who had been finally rewarded for his consistent domestic performances over the years, bagged a dream start to his India journey as he produced a Player of the Match performance in the second T20I. During India's chase of 165, Kishan chipped in with 32-ball 56 and set the platform for the rest of the batsmen. While he got out in the 10th over, Kohli remained unbeaten and led India to cross the line.

The Indian skipper heaped praise on young Kishan, who was coming with an experience of 95 T20s in the domestic circuit, including the Indian Premier League (IPL). Kishan, who has been associated with Mumbai Indians (MI) since 2018, had a terrific IPL season last year, where he had scored 516 runs in 14 matches at an average of 57.33.

"We ticked all the boxes we wanted to and to give away only 34 in the last five overs is a very special effort. Special mention to Washi and everyone chipped in and all in all very happy with the bowling and batting as well. It did come onto the bat a bit better in the second innings and the slower balls stopped gripped and a special mention to Ishan the way he batted.

I tried to do what I can but he kept following his instincts and it was a quality innings on debut. When you play in the IPL with such dominance as he has and he is a fearless character and he knew that he was hitting the ball well and he is very calculated and not restless," said Kohli in a post-match interview on Sunday.