Cric Tracker : Feb 02, 2020, 05:15 PM
India participated in a five-match T20I bilateral series for the first time in their ongoing New Zealand tour. They completely dominated the home side in the series and also proceeded to beat the Kiwis for the first time in the format in their own den. KL Rahul was the star for the visitors who became the highest run-getter for India in a bilateral series in Men’s T20Is surpassing his skipper Virat Kohli.Rahul once again looked at his best with the bat at the top of the order in the fifth and final game of the series. He notched up 45 off just 33 balls with 4 fours and a couple of sixes before getting out to Hamish Bennett. He ended the series with 224 runs to his name in five innings and smashed a couple of half-centuries as well. Rahul’s other scores in the series read 56, 57*, 27 and 39 which also makes him a candidate for the Man of the Series.Virat Kohli held the record of scoring the most runs in a bilateral series in the T20Is for India previously. He had racked up 199 runs against Australia in three matches in 2016 and then came close to breaking it against the West Indies last year. The Indian skipper amassed 183 runs in three innings while also crossing the 50-run mark twice.KL Rahul second in the list in all T20I bilateralsMeanwhile, KL Rahul is now second in the list of highest run-getters in all T20I bilaterals. Mozambique’s F Damiao Couana is at the top with 233 runs which he scored during a seven-match T20I series last year against Malawi. Rahul, however, went past New Zealand’s Colin Munro who was earlier at the second spot.The southpaw had scored 223 runs in just three matches in the 2017 series against the West Indies with a century and two fifty-plus scores to his name. The likes of Hamilton Masakadza, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell are the next in the charts. Recently, Dawid Malan also made it to the list smashing 208 runs in four innings during the five-match series against the Kiwis.However, KL Rahul has trumped everyone with his golden run of form with the bat even as his wicket-keeping is flourishing at the same time.