Shubman Gill Becomes Fastest Indian to 3,000 ODI Runs

India's captain Shubman Gill (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

Shubman Gill added another chapter to his remarkable rise in international cricket by becoming the fastest Indian to 3,000 ODI runs during the opening match of the three-match series against Afghanistan in Dharamsala on Saturday. The India captain reached the landmark in his 61st innings, eclipsing Shikhar Dhawan's previous Indian record of 72 innings. Only former South Africa opener Hashim Amla, who achieved the feat in 57 innings, has reached the milestone faster, making Gill the second-quickest batter in ODI history to 3,000 runs. The latest milestone further underlined Gill's growing stature as one of the premier batters in world cricket. Gill, who made his ODI debut against New Zealand in January 2019, has enjoyed a prolific start to his one-day career. The right-hander reached 3,000 runs with an average comfortably above 55 while maintaining a strike rate close to 100, highlighting his ability to combine consistency with attacking strokeplay. Former South Africa opener Hashim Amla continues to hold the world record, having reached 3,000 runs in just 57 innings. Gill's effort places him ahead of a distinguished group that includes West Indies' Shai Hope and Pakistan batters Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq, all of whom took 67 innings to get to the milestone. The Punjab batter also surpassed former India opener Dhawan, whose 72-innings effort had stood as the national benchmark for several years. Gill's latest achievement adds to an already impressive ODI résumé that includes eight centuries and numerous match-winning performances. The 26-year-old has established himself as a cornerstone of India's batting unit across formats. Earlier in the match, debutants Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar took three wickets apiece, but Rahmanullah Gurbaz's quickfire 102 powered Afghanistan to 194 in their rain-truncated opening ODI against India in Dharamsala on Saturday. The contest was reduced to a 25-overs-per-side affair due to relentless rain earlier in the day. Dubey was slightly expensive but returned figures of 3/47 from his allotted five overs, while Brar remained disciplined and finished with figures of 3/27 in 4.5 overs. However, it was the Afghanistan opener who stole the show, blasting 102 off just 51 balls. His innings featured eight fours and eight sixes and helped propel Afghanistan to a competitive total.