Asia Cup 2022: Rohit Sharma 10 runs away from becoming highest scorer in T20Is

The Indian and Pakistan cricket teams are gearing up for their first encounter in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022. The two teams last met at the T20I World Cup where Pakistan handed India a 10-wicket defeat. It was also the first time in any World Cup that India had suffered a loss against Pakistan. This time around, India skipper Rohit Sharma will be eager to turn things around while he himself can script a unique personal record. Sharma is just 10 runs away from becoming the highest run-getter ever in T20I.

Currently, New Zealand’s Martin Guptill is leading the charge with 3,497 runs to his name while Sharma is trailing at 3,487. Virat Kohli is third on the list with 3,308 runs. Kohli will be playing the 100th T20I match of his career against Pakistan. Ravindra Jadeja, the Indian all-rounder, is one wicket short of becoming India’s highest wicket-taker in Asia Cup history. Suryakumar Yadav, who ranks second in the T20I batters’ ICC rankings, will also be looking to reach the top spot.

In the pre-match press conference, Sharma was asked about what the opening combination would be for India. The skipper did not provide a direct answer, wishing to keep the opponents second-guessing until the team is announced: “You can see yourselves after the toss tomorrow. Let us also keep some secrets”.

According to Sharma, the Indian team will keep trying new things. While some may not work, some will bear results, the skipper said. He further added, “And if in that process, we face some difficulties, we still don’t have a problem with that”. 

Sharma’s batting record against Pakistan is not that impressive, having played in seven innings (out of eight matches), scoring only 70 runs with a strike rate of 127.27 and an average of 14.00. His highest score against Pakistan is 30.