India and Bangladesh have had contrasting beginnings in the 2023 World Cup. The hosts have emerged victorious in all three of their matches, while the Bangla Tigers, after winning against Afghanistan in the tournament’s opening game, have suffered two consecutive losses. The Indian team’s victories seem to have resulted in improved camaraderie off the field, as evident in their dressing room videos.
Conversely, Bangladesh has maintained its streak of controversies that existed before the tournament. Numerous questions have arisen regarding Shakib Al Hasan’s leadership as captain, and Litton Das faced criticism for his interactions with certain Bangladeshi journalists. In this context, personal records matter more for one team. While achieving new records boosts India’s momentum, it may or may not affect Bangladesh’s morale.
#3 Shubman Gill needs 67 runs to become the fastest player to reach 2,000 runs in ODIs
After being sidelined for the first two matches of the 2023 World Cup due to dengue fever, Shubman Gill, the Indian opener, displayed some impressive shots, scoring 16 runs off 11 balls against Pakistan on Saturday. This brings his total ODI runs to 1,933 after 26 innings.
Now, he’s just 67 runs away from reaching the 2,000-run milestone in ODIs. If he accomplishes this today in his 37th innings, he’ll surpass South African legend Hashim Amla’s record of achieving this milestone in 40 innings. Among Indian players, the current fastest to 2,000 runs is Gill’s predecessor, Shikhar Dhawan, who achieved this feat in 48 innings.
#2 Mustafizur Rahman is nearing an impressive World Cup record
Mustafizur Rahman, the Bangladeshi left-arm seamer, has shown a remarkable transformation in his performance during World Cups. After facing injuries and inconsistent form over the past two years, he regained his best form just before the 2023 edition. In the current tournament, he has secured two wickets in three games, showcasing good rhythm. With these two wickets, he has reached a total of 22 wickets in all World Cups, coming very close to the 25-wicket milestone after just 11 innings.
Should he achieve this today, he will become the second Bangladeshi, following Shakib, to reach this milestone. Additionally, he would become the fastest to do so. Shakib accomplished this feat in 23 innings, reaching 25 wickets only in the 2019 edition, which was his fourth World Cup. Given his outstanding performance of 20 wickets at an average of 24.20 in his first World Cup in 2019, Rahman could reach the 25-wicket mark in only his second World Cup.
#1 Virat Kohli may set a new record as the fastest to 26,000 international runs
Virat Kohli is just 77 runs away from joining the exclusive club of batters, which includes Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, and Ricky Ponting, who have achieved 26,000 runs in international cricket. If he reaches this milestone today, in his 567th innings, he will become the fastest to do so. For context, Tendulkar achieved this in his 600th innings.
While specific data for Ponting and Sangakkara’s innings to reach 26,000 runs is not readily available, all three of them required more than 566 innings to reach the 25,000-run mark. Tendulkar reached it in 577 innings, while Ponting and Sangakkara took 588 and 608 innings, respectively.
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