INDIA vs SL 2023: 3 records that can be broken during the third T20I in Rajkot
The Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Stadium in Rajkot is scheduled to host the third and final T20I between India and Sri Lanka. The ongoing three-match T20I series is currently level at 1-1 after the visitors trounced the Men in Blue by 16 runs in Pune on Thursday (January 5).
Due to some poor death bowling display and a miserable top-order collapse, the Indian team left a lot to be desired in the previous T20I.
Having said that, both games in the series so far have been thrillers, with the hosts clinching the first one before being put to the sword in the second.
While the Hardik Pandya-led side will want to bounce back and bag their first series win of 2023, Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will want to end the hosts' four-year unbeaten run in T20I bilaterals at home.
The upcoming series-decider in Rajkot also offers both teams a chance to break a number of records. Let's take a look at the three of them.
#3 Shubman Gill can become the Indian opener with least runs after first three T20I innings
Talented batter Shubman Gill could earn himself an unwanted record if he endures another poor outing in the upcoming third T20I.
The Punjab-born lad, who has scored just 12 runs after two matches in his debut T20I series, could become the Indian opener with the least runs after the first three T20 international innings.
The unlucky record is currently with Sanju Samson, who mustered just 28 runs in his first three T20I innings as the Indian opener. If Gill fails to score less than 16 runs on Saturday, he will etch the terrible record to his name.
#2 Yuzvendra Chahal can become IND's leading wicket-taker in T20Is
Yuzvendra Chahal could attain a significant personal record against Sri Lanka. If the wily tweaker manages to take at least three wickets in the match on Saturday (January 7), he will become the leading wicket-taker for the Men in Blue in the shortest format.
With 90 wickets in 87 T20Is to his name, Bhuvneshwar Kumar currently leads the wicket-taking charts for the Men in Blue. Chahal, on the other hand, has picked up 88 wickets from just 73 matches in this format.
The Haryana-born leg-spinner is also just four wickets away from becoming the first-ever Indian to take 300 T20 wickets. Chahal has picked up 296 T20 wickets in 262 T20 matches in his career so far.
#1 Sri Lanka can win their maiden bilateral series in India
The Sri Lankan team stands on the brink of a historic feat if they manage to beat the Men in Blue in the third T20I in Rajkot.
Sri Lanka haven't won a single series in any of the three formats in India. However, that could change if they manage to outclass the hosts and come out as winners in the final T20. The Islanders have won four bilateral series against the Men in Blue but none of them have come on away soil.
The Dasun Shanaka-led unit is thus aiming to accomplish a feat that Sri Lankan teams led by legends like Arjuna Ranatunga, Arvinda de Silva, Mahela Jayawardena, and Kumar Sangakkara were unable to achieve.