Decoding KL Rahul's interesting records in international cricket
KL Rahul is one of the most prolific run-getters at present. He has all the shots in his arsenal and is a delight to watch when in a rhythm. Known as India's Mr. 360, Rahul holds plenty of laud-worthy records. He will be next seen in action in the upcoming India versus South Africa T20Is. Ahead of that, we look at his achievements.
Rahul has the competence to become the leading run-scorer in this format. Since his debut against Zimbabwe on June 16, 2016, Rahul has compiled 1,831 runs at 40.68. Notably, he has the fourth-most runs in the format, ranking behind Pakistan's Babar Azam (2,686), Ireland's Paul Stirling (2,025), and Indian skipper Rohit Sharma (2,021). Meanwhile, Virat Kohli holds 1,655 runs in this interval.
Rahul has truly bossed this format. He holds the joint-most hundreds in a run-chase in T20Is (2). The Karnataka batter shares this honor with Australia's Glenn Maxwell. Notably, he has the third-highest strike rate among players with over 800 runs in this regard (143.87).
On June 11, 2016, Rahul slammed a 100* off 115 deliveries versus Zimbabwe. In the process, the stylish batter became the first Indian cricketer to clock a hundred on their ODI debut. Overall, he is among the 16 cricketers to have attained the feat.
Rahul is only the third Indian player besides Rohit and Suresh Raina to have a hundred in all forms of international cricket. He etched his name in cricketing books post the 110* against WI in 2016. Meanwhile, he is among the 18 cricketers to have registered this achievement. At the time, he was only the 12th player to have clocked this noteworthy record.
Rahul smashed a fifty of 18 balls against Scotland in the 2021 T20 World Cup. It was the joint-fastest fifty by a batter in that edition of the tournament. As per ESPNcricinfo, it is the second-fastest fifty by an Indian batter in T20Is. He bettered Gautam Gambhir's record (19 deliveries). Meanwhile, Yuvraj Singh holds the fastest fifty in the format (14 deliveries).
Rahul's 110* against WI witnessed the stylish batter reach the 100-run mark in 46 deliveries. It was the then-fastest hundred by an Indian batter in the format. Rohit steered clear of his tally, attaining the historic feat in 35 deliveries versus SL. Rahul is also the only player with a hundred in the first innings as an opener both in Tests and ODIs.
Rahul is the only batter to complete a hundred with a six in all formats. Interestingly, he is the only Indian batter to be dismissed hit-wicket in T20Is. He was the first player with a hundred while batting at number four or lower in T20Is (110* vs WI). Rahul is the fastest batter to stamp hundreds in all forms of international cricket (20 innings).
