In the third T20I against New Zealand, run-machine Virat Kohli added another feather to his cap when he surpassed former captain M.S. Dhoni to score most runs in T20Is as India captain.
It took Kohli only 37 matches to go past Dhoni’s tally of 1112 runs as captain in T20I cricket. The list is headed by South Africa captain Faf du Plessis, who has the most runs as captain in T20I cricket with 1273 runs. New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has 1148 runs in T20Is.
Meanwhile, the third T20I was a cracker of a game that ended in a Super Over which India won. Earlier, the hosts restricted India to 179/5 in 20 overs. India raced to 69/0 in the first six overs but the middle overs were full of stuttering until late big shots by Kohli and Shreyas Iyer.
In reply, Williamson’s knock of 95 took the hosts to a painfully close total, in which they faltered on the last ball off which one run was needed. Eventually, a Super Over was played in which Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill scored 18 runs off Jasprit Bumrah. KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma, who came out to bat in the Super Over, didn’t get to a good start but Sharma hit twin sixes off the last two balls to take the side home.
Skipper Kohli was himself surprised at India’s win, which they had almost lost.
“I thought we were gone at one stage. In the Super Over, New Zealand again put pressure on us. But Rohit was outstanding today, in the first half and in the super over. We knew, if he gets one hit, bowler will be under pressure because he is such a clean striker of the cricket ball.”
With this win, India have also sealed the five-match T20I series 3-0. The T20 series will be followed by an ODI and Test series respectively.
