India vs England, 2021: 1st T20I, Statistical Preview - Babar Azam's record in danger; Kohli, Rohit eye new milestones

India and England are set to clash in the 5-match T20I series starting 12th March to be played at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The hosts have recently defeated the English side in the Test series and would like to carry the momentum forward in the shortest format as well. This series will act as a good platform for both sides to prepare themselves well before the T20 World Cup to be played in India later this year.

Since there are 5 matches in the series, it should be enough for the teams to try out different combinations and aim for a settled squad for the marquee tournament. There are many new faces who have been given chance in the Indian crew, and it will be interesting to see how many of them are successful in making a cut to the final playing XI.  

Let’s look at important numbers and records before the start of the T20I series between India and England:

Head to Head record 

14 – Both teams are even as far as the T20I record is concerned. They have clashed in 14 T20Is till now, and have won 7 games each. On the Indian soil too, both have won 3 matches each among the 6 T20Is played in total.

Records await for King Kohli

72 – Indian skipper Virat Kohli has aggregated 2928 runs in 85 matches he has played in the T20I format. He needs 72 more runs to become the first-ever batsman to cross the 3000 run mark in the shortest format. He will also be the first player to score over 3000 runs in each of the three formats of the game.

17 – The prolific batsman has not been in his usual form in the last few innings, and performed poorly against England in the recent Test series given his high standards. He will have a chance to become the third player to complete 12000 runs as captain if he scores 17 more runs in the first T20I. Only Ricky Ponting (15440) and Graeme Smith (14878) have achieved this milestone. 

Rohit’s eye on big records

13 – Indian opener Rohit Sharma too will have a chance to achieve some big milestones in the T20I series. He has 127 sixes to his name in the T20Is and is currently only behind Martin Guptill (139 sixes). Rohit will surpass the Kiwi opener if he hits 13 more sixes against the English side. 

67 – The dashing opener has scored 2773 runs in 100 T20I innings so far. He needs 67 more runs to get past Martin Guptill in runs tally and reach the second spot in the highest run-getter list.

Malan to overtake Babar

145 – English player Dawid Malan has impressed everyone with his consistent performance in the shortest format and is currently the number 1 batsman in ICC T20I rankings. He has scored 855 runs in 19 innings so far with an extraordinary average of 53.43. Malan needs 145 more runs to get to 1000 runs in the T20I format.

Even if he takes 6 more innings to reach the mark, he will become the quickest player to 1000 runs. Currently, the Pakistan captain Babar Azam (26 innings) holds the record for the same which he achieved in 2016.

Chahal’s chance to become number 1 Indian T20I bowler 

59 – Yuzvendra Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah have both taken 59 wickets in T20Is, the most by any Indian player. Since Bumrah is unavailable for the series, Chahal will have a chance to overtake him and top the bowling charts for the time being.

Upcoming milestones for Eoin Morgan

95 – Eoin Morgan has 1289 runs to his name as England captain in T20Is. If he scores 95 more runs, he will become the second-highest T20I run-getter as captain by going past Kane Williamson (1383). Australian skipper Aaron Finch is currently leading the charts with 1462 runs in 44 innings.

6879 – In T20 cricket, the English skipper has scored 6879 runs in the 307 matches he has played. If he gets 121 more runs in the series, he will become the fourth player from England after Luke Wright, Alex Hales, and Ravi Bopara to complete 7000 runs in T20 cricket.

A unique feat awaits for Suryakumar Yadav

101 – Suryakumar Yadav, who has been drafted into the side after his incredible performance in IPL over the years, will make a unique record if he gets a chance in the series. He has played 101 IPL games so far and will become the first player to make India debut after playing over 100 games in the cash-rich league.