Asia Cup 2023: 3 records that can be broken in today’s India vs Sri Lanka match ft. Kuldeep Yadav
A lot of records tumbled as India thrashed Pakistan by 228 runs on the reserve day of their Super Four clash in the 2023 Asia Cup on Monday. By runs margin, it was Pakistan's second-biggest defeat in ODIs and India's fourth-biggest win. Virat Kohli's stunning 122 made him the fastest ever to reach 13,000 runs in ODIs too.
But we are up for more in less than 24 hours (thanks to the reserve day that'll surely take a toll on the players' bodies) as India will go against Sri Lanka today at 3 pm IST at the same venue, the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
We have listed the three biggest ones for you below. No Sri Lankan player makes this list but two of them are close to critical milestones (not records) - Dimuth Karunaratne needs 70 runs to reach 8,000 international runs for Sri Lanka while Kusal Perera (if he plays) is 92 runs short of the 6000-run mark.
Let's get into it!
#1 Kuldeep Yadav needs four more wickets to become the fastest Indian spinner to 150 scalps in ODIs
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav ran through Pakistan (his favorite opponent in ODIs) on Monday with a memorable five-wicket haul. It comprised wickets of their top run-scorer, Fakhar Zaman (27), and the entire middle order.
This took him to 146 wickets in ODIs after just 87 matches. If he takes four more today, he'll become the fastest Indian spinner to reach 150 wickets. The current record-holder is Anil Kumble who reached the landmark in 106 matches.
Kuldeep will also be the second-fastest overall in the country after Mohammed Shami (80 matches) and ahead of the current chief selector Ajit Agargar (97). Australia's Mitchell Starc tops the list, having taken just 77 ODIs for 150 wickets.
#2 Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are just two runs shy of becoming the fastest pair to reach 5,000 runs
Kohli and Rohit Sharma (56 off 49) both batted superbly against Pakistan but are yet to bat together in the 2023 Asia Cup.
One of India's greatest ODI pairs, they are just two runs short of becoming the fastest to reach 5,000 partnership runs in ODIs since the start of this tournament. They have played 85 innings together to score 4998 runs.
If none of them is rested, they can break legendary West Indies pair Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes' record of 97 innings, today.
#3 Rohit Sharma needs one more six to hit the most maximums by an Indian in the Asia Cup (ODI format)
Rohit hit four sixes against Pakistan in his 56. The first was to get off the mark against Shaheen Shah Afridi on the last ball of the first over followed by three against Shadab Khan (two off half-trackers and one against a full-toss).
This took his tally of sixes in the Asia Cup (ODI) to 26, equalling Pakistan legend Shahid Afridi's record. He now needs just one more of those today against Sri Lanka to hold the record for most sixes in the Asia Cup in the ODI format.