Martin Guptill on verge of surpassing Virat Kohli to achieve massive T20I milestone

New Zealand opener Martin Guptill is on the verge of surpassing Indian skipper Virat Kohli to become the highest run-scorer in T20I cricket. Guptill, who scored a magnificent 70 off 42 balls in the first T20I against India, is just 11 runs away from becoming the top scorer in the shortest format of the game. Guptill has 3,217 T20I runs to his name, which he scored in 110 matches at an average of 32.49. Kohli, on the other hand, has 3,227 runs from 95 matches. Kohli is not part of the ongoing T20I series between India and New Zealand, which makes Guptill favourite to surpass the Indian batter's record. 

The second T20I game between India and New Zealand is all set to take place on Friday at Ranchi's JSCA International Stadium. The Rohit Sharma-led side is already 1-0 up in the three-match series and will be chasing another win tonight in order to secure the trophy from the Kiwis. India won the first T20I match that was played in Jaipur on November 17. The match was significant because it saw Rohit Sharma take charge of the Indian team for the first time as regular captain, replacing Virat Kohli for the top job. The match was also Rahul Dravid's first assignment as head coach of Team India. 

India vs New Zealand

As far as the first T20I in Jaipur is concerned, India beat New Zealand by 5 wickets to secure a lead in the bilateral series. Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field first against the Blackcaps. Indian bowlers restricted New Zealand for 164/6 in 20 overs. Martin Guptill and Mark Chapman were the only batters who scored for the Kiwis as they smashed a half-century each. Guptill scored 70 off 42 balls and Chapman hit 63 off 50 balls. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin picked two wickets each, while Deepak Chahar and Mohammed Siraj picked one each.   

In reply, India chased down the target with a small stutter. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul put up an explosive batting show in the powerplay before the latter was dismissed by Mitchell Santner for 15 runs. Rohit went on to score 48 off 36 balls before being dismissed by Trent Boult. Suryakumar Yadav scored a magnificent 62 off 40 balls before Boult struck again in the 17th over. India then lost two wickets in quick succession to face the small stutter but eventually, Rishabh Pant, who hit 17 off 17 balls, finished the game for his side. 

Image: ICC/AP