Babar Azam
will lead Pakistan against India in the much-anticipated T20 World Cup opener for both sides on Sunday. A contest which has defined T20 World Cup history, it will be the sixth
time the fierce rivals face each other in the tournament’s history, with India having won all five previous encounters. And Azam will have to lead his side from the
front for Pakistan to have any hopes of getting their first taste of victory against
India in a World Cup.

Azam has
been one of the best batsmen in the world recently, particularly in T20Is. The
27-year-old is entering the peak years of his career and is starting to show why
he was such a highly-rated youngster and the torch-bearer of Pakistani cricket.

Also Read | T20 World Cup: Ahead of India clash, 5 Pakistan players to watch out for

Here is a
look at the various records to Azam’s name in T20s:

Fastest to 2,000 T20I runs

Earlier
this year, Azam became the fastest player to reach 2,000 runs in T20 Internationals,
reaching the milestone in just his 52nd innings, four less than his Indian
counterpart Virat Kohli. Australian skipper Aaron Finch (62) and the New
Zealand duo of Brendon McCullum (66) Martin Guptill (68) are next in that list.

Fastest to 7,000 T20 runs

Azam became
the fastest to reach 7,000 in T20 cricket, including domestic competitions,
reaching that landmark during a match in Pakistan’s National T20 Cup in what
was his 187th innings. West Indies legend Chris Gayle took 192
innings to reach 7,000 T20 runs, while reached that mark in 212 innings.

Also Read | T20 World Cup: Are India and Pakistan favourites owing to good T20I records?

Second-fastest to 1,000 runs

Azam was also
the second-fastest to reach 1,000 T20I runs, reaching the milestone in 26 innings,
two more than England’s Dawid Malan.

Other records

Azam has
the third-highest batting average in T20Is. His average of 46.89 is behind only
teammate Mohammad Rizwan (48.40) and Kohli (52.65).

He has the third
highest number of fifties (21) in T20Is, behind Rohit Sharma (26) and Kohli
(28).

Also Read | T20 World Cup: Team India’s SWOT analysis

His record
of 15 fours in an innings, against South Africa earlier this year, is second
only to the 16 Aaron Finch hit against Zimbabwe in 2018.

He also has
five player-of-the-series awards in T20Is, second only to Kohli’s seven.

He has a total of 2,204 runs in T20Is from 56 innings, including 21 fifties and one century.