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Virat, Rohit end 2019 as joint highest run-scorers in T20Is
Mumbai: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two of India’s batting mainstays, have ended 2019 as the joint highest run-getters in T20 internationals.
In what was India’s last T20I of the year on Wednesday evening, Virat and Rohit came out with exceptional batting performances as the hosts took the West Indies bowlers to the cleaners at the Wankhede and went on to clinch the three-match series 2-1.
Going into the series decider, Virat was one run ahead of Rohit. After West Indies put India to bat first, Rohit scored 71 while the Indian captain scored 70* as a result of which both are tied at 2,633 runs each in T20Is.
The Indian skipper has accumulated these runs in 75 matches (70 innings) at an average of 52.66. Rohit, on the other hand, needed 104 matches (96 innings) to score the same number of runs at an average of 32.10.
While Virat has scored 24 half centuries in his T20I career so far, Rohit has hit 19 fifties.
New Zealand’s Martin Guptill sits at the third spot in the list of highest run-getters in T20Is. He has scored 2,436 runs and is followed by Shoaib Malik (2,263) and Brendon McCullum (2,140).
In the third and final T20I, India posted a mammoth total of 240/3 riding on the back of brilliant knocks from Rohit (71), KL Rahul (91) and Virat (70*). During the course of Indian innings, Rohit also became the first Indian batsman to smash 400 international sixes.
In reply, West Indies could manage 173/8 in their allotted quota of 20 overs and lost the match by 67 runs.
India are now scheduled to play three-match ODI series against West Indies beginning Sunday in Chennai. After that, they will play three T20Is against Sri Lanka in early January next year.
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Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.