3 Shikhar Dhawan records that Shubman Gill can break
Young Team India opening batter Shubman Gill is rewriting the record books with his scintillating ODI career start. He recently became the fastest Indian batter to scale the summit of 1000 ODI runs and by the looks of it, he has no intention of stopping any time soon.
While his 50-over career got off to a shaky start, which also induced a lengthy two-year break, his return series during the tour of the Caribbean in 2022, proved to be the turning point. He featured consistently in Team India's second-string squad and eventually toppled Shikhar Dhawan to claim the opening spot in the first team alongside Rohit Sharma.
With the manner with which Gill is progressing, especially in the ODI circuit, it is safe to say that records are not safe by any means. He has found his groove and could go on to make a huge name for himself at the top of the order and could potentially lead the impending transition.
Gill and Dhawan present themselves as eye-catching players with nuances for traditional stroke play. They both had a rocky start to their ODI careers but picked up the pace soon after to be among the greats early on itself.
On that note, let’s take a look at three potential Dhawan records that Gill can break.
#1 Fastest Indian to score 2000 ODI runs
Shubman Gill recently breached Shikhar Dhawan's record to become the fastest Indian player to reach the 1000-run summit. The fact that the youngster was able to scale the landmark in five innings fewer than his senior counterpart, gives him an advantage over the next milestone.
Shikhar Dhawan took 48 innings to breach the 2000-run mark, breaking the record held by Sourav Ganguly at the time. In comparison, the 2018 U-19 World Cup member currently stands at 1254 runs in 21 innings, giving him 27 innings to score the remaining 746 runs.
Given that 2023 is a year laden with ODIs, there is a chance that Gill might break the record very soon. It is to be noted that Virat Kohli took 53 innings to reach the 2000-run mark in the 50-over format.
#2 Fastest Indian to record five ODI hundreds
During his sublime hundred against New Zealand in the third ODI, Shubman Gill broke Shikhar Dhawan's feat of becoming the fastest Indian player to score four hundreds in the format.
The youngster beat the stalwart's existing record of 24 innings by three innings.
Fastest to 4 ODI 100s for India
21 Inngs - Gill*
24 Inngs - Dhawan
31 Inngs - Rahul
33 Inngs - Kohli
44 Inngs - Gambhir
50 Inngs - Sehwag
#INDvsNZ
Considering the pace with which the prodigal player is scoring centuries, Dhawan's record of 28 innings for five hundreds is also breachable. If the in-form youngster scores another century in Team India's next seven ODIs, he will break another feat held by the left-handed opening batter.
Dhawan faced a year-long century drought after his fifth ODI hundred. Luck also did not favor him as he was stranded in the nineties twice during the timeframe.
#3 Fastest to 1000 runs across ICC events
Dhawan's tryst with the ICC tournaments is well-documented. He played a pivotal role as the top scorer in Team India's Champions Trophy winning campaign in 2013. He was once again among the runs at the 2015 World Cup and the ensuing 2017 Champions Trophy.
He broke Sachin Tendulkar's record to become the fastest Indian to register 1000 runs in ICC events. He took 16 innings to scale the landmark, breaking Tendulkar's record by just two innings.
Fastest to 1000 runs in ICC ODI tournaments....Shikhar Dhawan Number One. Well played. #CT17
Now, considering the imperious form that Gill is in, an ODI World Cup on home soil where India could potentially play up to nine matches if they go all the way, the youngster can get a serious headstart towards the record held by the senior opener.
Will Shubman Gill be able to breach any of the aforementioned records in the near future? Let us know what you think.
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