India vs New Zealand, 3rd T20: KL Rahul aims to surpass Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma

KL Rahul is aiming to surpass his captain and vice-captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in a Twenty20 International (T20I) record ahead of India's third match against New Zealand on Wednesday.

Rahul has been in a terrific form since India's home series against Sri Lanka. He has carried the same momentum into India's tour of New Zealand. India are 2-0 up in the five-match T20I series and Rahul scored a fifty-plus score in both the matches.

The wicketkeeper-batsman now has registered three back-to-back fifties in his last three T20Is. If he manages to score another fifty on Wednesday, he will equal the current record jointly held by former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum and West Indian explosive batsman Chris Gayle, who scored four consecutive 50-plus scores in 2008-09 and 2012 respectively.

Among Indian batters, it will be a record for Rahul, who currently is tied with Kohli and Rohit. Interestingly, Kohli has scored a hat-trick of half-centuries three times (2012, 2014 and 2016), his deputy Rohit did so in 2018.

Rahul's streak goes back to India's final T20I match against Sri Lanka earlier this month, where he had scored a match-winning 54 in Pune and that win had sealed the series for India. The Karnataka batsman has been as dangerous upon his arrival in New Zealand. He scored 56 and unbeaten 57 in the first two T20Is that were played in Auckland's Eden Park.

Rahul is unsurprisingly leading the runs chart in India's ongoing New Zealand tour with 113 runs in two innings ahead of India teammate Shreyas Iyer, who has scored 102 runs in two matches.

If India win the match on Wednesday, they would seal the five-match T20I series. The win would be special because it will be India's maiden T20I series win on New Zealand soil.