KL Rahul Surpasses Virat Kohli To Become Fastest Indian To Complete 7000 Runs In T20 Cricket

Lucknow, April 22: Star India batter KL Rahul on Saturday (April 22) surpassed Virat Kohli to become the fastest Indian player to cross the 7000 runs milestone in T20 cricket.

Rahul achieved the feat during the IPL 2023 match between Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium in Lucknow. Rahul reached the landmark in fifteen fewer innings than Kohli.

Chasing a target of 136, Rahul got LSG off to a good start and scored his second fifty of the ongoing season of IPL as he took his side closer to victory in Lucknow. He reached 50 in 38 balls.

Rahul, who earlier in the season became the fastest batter to score 4000 runs in the IPL, breaking the record of Chris Gayle, completed 7000 runs in T20 Cricket in his 197th innings. Kohli had reached 7000 runs in 212 innings.

Fastest Indians to 7000 runs in T20 Cricket (By Number of Innings)

1. KL Rahul - 197 Innings

2. Virat Kohli - 212 Innings

3. Shikhar Dhawan - 246 Innings

4. Suresh Raina - 251 Innings

5. Rohit Sharma - 258 Innings

6. Robin Uthappa - 271 Innings

While he is the fastest Indian to reach the landmark, Rahul, who has been consistent in the format is the third fastest player in the world to achieve the feat, behind IPL legend Gayle and Pakistan captain Babar Azam.

Babar currently holds the record having reached the 7000-run mark in T20s in just 187 innings followed by Gayle, who achieved the feat in 192 innings.

Fastest to 7000 runs in T20 Cricket (By Number of Innings)

1. Babar Azam - 187 Innings

2. Chris Gayle - 192 Innings

3. KL Rahul - 197 Innings

Earlier in the season, Rahul also became the second fastest captain in IPL to cross the 2000-run milestone by reaching the landmark in 47 innings. He is only behind David Warner, who had reached the milestone in 46 innings.

As for the fastest to 4000 runs in IPL, Rahul beat the likes of Gayle, Kohli, Warner, AB De Villiers, Suresh Raina and Gautam Gambhir among others to the summit by reaching the landmark in just 105 innings.