Virat Kohli benefits from resting Rohit Sharma, goes past Hitman's THIS top T20I record

Indian captain Virat Kohli returned to form with a sparkling 73* against England on Sunday, March 14. He guided the ‘Men in Blue’ to victory to level the five-match series 1-1 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Remarkably, Kohli managed to surpass a sensational T20I record which was previously held by his deputy Rohit Sharma.

India vs England T20: Virat Kohli breaches 3k scale in T20Is

India vs England T20: Virat Kohli slams 26th T20I fifty, goes past Rohit Sharma

Earlier, the Indian team management decided to rest Rohit Sharma from the first three T20Is of the five-match series against England. In his absence, they lost the opening match to the visitors with a convincing margin. However, Virat Kohli and co. bounced back in the next game to bring the series to levelling terms.

With Rohit Sharma not playing, the Indian captain also managed to break a sensational batting record previously held by the opening batsman. Virat Kohli registered his 26th T20I half-century through his recent match-winning 73* against England. In doing so, he surpassed his deputy for scoring most 50-plus scores in T20I cricket. As of now, Sharma has 25 scores of 50 or more as he has plundered 21 fifties and four centuries in the format.

Ishan Kishan dazzles on debut

Despite Virat Kohli’s solid 73*, debutant Ishan Kishan was adjudged as the ‘Player of the Match’. Kishan slammed 56 runs from just 32 balls after arriving to the crease in the first over of the Indian innings. He formed a 94-run second-wicket stand with the captain where he crashed the English bowlers with five boundaries and four sixes.

Virat Kohli praises Ishan Kishan, watch video

India vs England T20I series updates

England’s tour of India will now continue with the third T20I. The match is scheduled to be played on Tuesday, March 16 and it will be hosted by the same venue. After the T20Is, the two teams will play a set of three ODIs in Pune to cap-off the two-month long tour.

Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma

The ‘Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma’ topic of discussion has often sparked much debate among fans of the two cricketers. The two batting legends are currently the leading T20I run-aggregators in the world. They have been at the helm of many of India’s famous wins across all formats for the past several years.

Image source: BCCI Twitter