India Vs. Australia: Shikhar Dhawan Surpasses MS Dhoni In An Elite T20I Record

India’s opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan surpassed MS Dhoni in a Twenty20 International (T20I) record Sunday.

With the half-century Dhawan scored during the second T20I between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), he became the third highest run-scorer for the Men in Blue in the shortest format. En route 52 off 36 balls, Dhawan struck six boundaries as he laid the required platform for India’s successful chase of 195 in the second T20I.

Dhawan now has 1,641 runs in 62 T20Is. The Delhi cricketer took 61 innings to get there, while Dhoni scored 1,617 runs in 85 innings. Overall, for Team India, skipper Virat Kohli is the leading run-scorer in the T20Is, having scored 2,843 runs in 78 innings, ahead of Rohit Sharma, who has scored 2,773 runs in 100 innings at an average of 32.62.

Having triumphed in the first two T20Is of the three-match series, Kohli-led India have claimed the T20I series. It was a great result, especially after India suffered a loss in the One-Day International (ODI) series earlier last month.

In the absence of Rohit, KL Rahul is Kohli’s deputy in the limited-overs in India's ongoing 2020-21 tour of Australia. If Rahul manages to score 76 runs in the third T20I Tuesday, which is a mere dead rubber, he will jump to the fourth spot, surpassing Dhoni and Suresh Raina, in the list of most T20I runs for India. At present, Rahul has 1,542 runs in 40 innings in his account, while Raina, who retired earlier this year from international cricket along with Dhoni, scored 1,605 runs in 66 T20I innings at an average of 29.18.

Only three batsmen have scored a century in the T20Is for India, and captain Kohli is not one of them. While Rohit has recorded four centuries in T20Is, Rahul has two and Raina one. Kohli has registered 24 fifties in T20Is, Rohit 21, and Dhawan 11.

In the bowling department, Yuzvendra Chahal claimed a record during India’s win against Australia Sunday. By removing Steve Smith, who was Chahal’s only wicket of the day, the leg-spinner equaled Jasprit Bumrah as India’s joint-leading wicket-taker in the T20Is – 59 wickets.

After India’s T20I series win Sunday, Kohli became the first Indian captain to win a T20I series in South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia (SENA countries). Former Indian skipper Dhoni won the T20I series in South Africa and Australia, but could not do so in New Zealand and England. Under Kohli's captaincy, India won the T20I series in South Africa and England in 2018. Earlier this year, India whitewashed New Zealand 5-0 in their backyard and the win in the ongoing T20I series Down Under helped Kohli to complete the quartet.