Stats: KL Rahul completes 3000 runs in the Twenty20 format

The last three years have made a gradual change to KL Rahul’s reputation in the Twenty20 format thanks to his exploits in the IPL and T20I cricket. He was branded as a multi-day format player at the start of 2016. However, the 2016 edition of the IPL turned out to be a career-changing one for Rahul where he scored 397 runs in only 12 innings and he followed it with consistent performances for India in T20Is.

On Wednesday, KL Rahul struck a quick-fire 42 from 27 balls with eight boundaries playing for the Kings XI Punjab. His team was chasing a target of 203 against Rahul’s former IPL franchise, the Royal Challengers Bangalore that too at his state home ground, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. With his 3rd four of the innings, the right-hander moved to 13 and completed 3000 runs in the Twenty20 format.

Rahul got to 3000 runs in Twenty20s in only 93 innings making him the joint 5th fastest to this milestone. Shaun Marsh is the quickest as he needed only 85 innings to get to the 3000-run mark in T20s. Rahul is easily the fastest among the Indian players as no other player from India completed 3000 runs in less than 100 innings.

The left-handed batsmen Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina were the previous fastest from India to this milestone taking 107 innings apiece. The Karnataka batsman is also the 2nd fastest among the Asian players to 3000 runs in T20s. Pakistan batsman Babar Azam got to this milestone in 92 innings; one lesser than Rahul during the PSL earlier this year.

Rahul’s current T20 batting average of 39.85 is the 2nd best among the players with 3000 runs in this format. Only Virat Kohli has a better average as the India and RCB skipper aggregated 8305 runs in Twenty20s at 40.91. Another Indian, MS Dhoni stands third in this list as the CSK’s keeper-captain scored 6519 runs in T20s in 311 matches at an average of 39.82.

Fastest players to 3000 runs in Twenty20 cricket:

(Stats as on April 24, 2019)

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