4 Records Indian Players Could Make on England Tour
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While India is gearing up to take Afghanistan in the historic Test, there is no denying the all eyes are firmly set on the upcoming tour of England.
The last two tours of England were nothing less than nightmares, as far as the Test series were concerned.
In 2011, they were whitewashed 4-0 by Andrew Strauss & Co. Three years later, the margin of defeats decreased, but there was no respite for the Indians. England had thrashed the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side 3-1.
Talking about the limited-overs series, India had something to cheer about. In 2014, they won the ODIs 3-1.
However, things have changed drastically in the last couple of years. While Australia and England have shown inconsistent form in the longest format of the game, India has been the most consistent side.
Currently sitting on the top of ICC’s Test rankings, Virat Kohli and his men have won nine of their last ten Test series. On the other hand, England have shown inconsistent form in recent times. They lost the Ashes and the series in New Zealand before drawing the home series 1-1 at home against Pakistan recently.
Going by the current team, India will start the series as favourites. Well, only time will tell whether India manages to avenge the two heavy defeats on the last two tours.
But before the much-anticipated series gets underway, Sportzwiki takes a look at four milestones the Indian team would be looking to achieve in England.
1. Bhuvneshwar Kumar close to joining century-club:
The Indian pace spearhead will be eyeing a personal milestone when the ODI series gets underway. He is just ten wickets away from 100 ODI wickets.
The right-arm pacer has so far taken 90 wickets in 86 ODIs. With India set to play three ODIs, the prolific pacer will be eyeing to achieve the milestone.
The English conditions will suit his swing bowling, and he will be looking to prove his worth again.
2. MS Dhoni closing into 10,000 ODI runs:
With form on his side, Dhoni will be eyeing to add another feather to his already illustrious cap. He was in stunning form in this year’s Indian Premier League, leading Chennai Super Kings to the title.
The Super Kings skipper Dhoni finished the season with 455 runs to his name. In addition, he also scored three fifties while smashing 24 fours and 30 sixes. It was his best season since 2013 when he had scored 461 runs in 18 games.
The former India skipper is just a few runs away from achieving another milestone in ODI cricket. The 36-year old needs only 33 more runs to complete 10,000 ODI runs.
3. Rohit Sharma closing in on 10,000 international runs:
The India opener had a forgettable outing with the bat in this year’s Indian Premier League.
For the first time in 11 seasons, he failed to cross the 300-run mark in the IPL. Well, he will have the chance to get over the disappointing season when he takes the field against England.
During the series, Rohit will also have the chance to achieve a big milestone. The right-handed batsman needs only 75 runs to reach 10,000 runs in international cricket.
4. Virat Kohli close to 2,000 T20 runs:
The India skipper is close to achieving yet another major milestone in his already illustrious cricket career. The 29-year old is all set to become the fastest player in the history of T20I cricket to score 2000 runs.
Kohli needs just 17 runs away to achieve the milestone. He will also be the first India batsman to score 2,000 runs in the shortest format of the game.