3 records that can be broken in today’s India vs New Zealand match of the 2023 World Cup ft. Virat Kohli
Here's a record for you - India haven't won an ICC match against New Zealand in the last 20 years. The overall head-to-head is New Zealand 10 and India three.
So it's not a surprise that whenever these two sides come against each other, individual records take a back seat. Whoever scores a hundred or picks up a fifer and irrespective of the margin of win, the headline tomorrow would be either 'India overcome New Zealand hoodoo' or 'New Zealand continue India domination'.
The significance of individual records, thus, depends on the match.
Who remembers that the last time India met New Zealand in the World Cup, MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja's 116-run partnership was the second-highest ever for the seventh wicket for their country in ODIs? Or that Rohit Sharma was just a few boundaries away from scoring the most runs in a World Cup edition?
All we remember is the Dhoni runout and the hoodoo. But change that to a few runs here and there, and everything makes more sense, the numbers talk.
For the numbers aficionados and the neutrals in the crowd, we've identified three significant personal records that could be rewritten today. But whether they hold lasting significance depends entirely on the drama that unfolds on the 22 yards.
#3 Virat Kohli could be the fastest to 1,500 runs vs New Zealand
Virat Kohli has scored 1,433 runs in 29 ODI innings against New Zealand. He's the fifth-highest run-scorer against the Kiwis in the format after Ricky Ponting (1,971 runs), Sachin Tendulkar (1,750 runs), Kumar Sangakkara (1,568 runs), Sanath Jayasuriya (1,519 runs) and Jacques Kallis (1,449 runs).
If Kohli scores 67 runs today, he'll be the fastest-ever to 1,500 runs against New Zealand. Ponting is the current record holder for going past the mark in 35 innings and is followed by Tendulkar (38), Jayasuriya (42), and Sangakkara (43).
Kohli has five centuries and eight half-centuries in this contest with an overall brilliant average of 55.11. His best was a 134-ball 154* in Mohali in 2016. The last time India played New Zealand in Dharamshala in ODIs, he scored 85* (81).
#2 Tom Latham could be the fastest New Zealand batter to 1,000 ODI runs vs India
It's a bit of a long shot but if Tom Latham hits form today, he could become the fastest New Zealand player to score 1,000 ODI runs against India. The keeper-batter, who mostly bats in the middle order now, is at 871 runs after 20 innings.
Only four Kiwi players have scored 1000 runs against the Asian team - Ross Taylor (1385), Nathan Astle (1207), Stephen Fleming (1098) and Kane Williamson (1078). Among them, Astle is the fastest by going past the mark in his 22nd innings in 2019.
If Latham scores 129 runs today he will break Astle's four-year-old record by one innings.
#1 Shubman Gill requires 14 more runs to be the quickest to reach 2,000 runs in ODIs
Shubman Gill has shown glimpses of great form in his two innings so far in the 2023 World Cup. He smashed five boundaries and two sixes against Bangladesh during the course of his 55-ball 53-run knock. The youngster now has 1,986 ODI runs after 37 innings.
Now, he's just 14 runs short of the 2,000-run mark in ODIs. If he reaches that today in his 38th innings, he'll beat South African legend Hashim Amla's record of reaching the milestone in 40 innings.
For India, the current quickest is Gill's opening predecessor Shikhar Dhawan, who achieved the feat in 48 innings.