Rohit, Kohli Eye Major Sachin Tendulkar Records in Asia Cup 2023

image-lm0fxuofRohit Sharma and Virat Kohli [X.com]

Indian batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are on the cusp of attaining some major records this Asia Cup 2023 in Sri Lanka. While Sharma is closing in on an elite Sachin Tendulkar feat, his teammate Kohli finds himself at the edge of another personal milestone.

As Team India gears up to face Pakistan in their Asia Cup 2023 opening game, here is a look at all records the two batting veterans can achieve through the course of the tournament.


Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli near major records

1. Most Asia Cup ODI runs

Rohit Sharma has aggregated 745 runs from 22 innings in his ODI Asia Cup career. He is the second-highest run-scorer among Indians and fifth overall in the tournament's history. He is only trailing behind all-time great Sachin Tendulkar (971 runs). If Sharma adds 227 more runs to his tally this month, he will surpass Tendulkar to become India's biggest run composer in Asia Cup ODI matches.

Virat Kohli, on the other hand, is not even among the top 10 list of batters with the most runs. However, he might storm into the top five if he scores at least 173 runs in this competition. Kohli might even enter the top 10 list against Pakistan itself and can become the third highest Indian run-scorer by adding 36 runs to leave MS Dhoni behind in the race.


2. Rohit Sharma favourite to top six-hitting race

Rohit Sharma, having made his ODI Asia Cup debut in 2008, has so far hit 17 sixes across all his 22 appearances. If he clears the fence twice this competition, he will soar past Suresh Raina (18) to become India's leading six-hitter in all Asia Cup matches. Moreover, ten more sixes this edition will take him past Sanath Jayasuriya (23) and Shahid Afridi (26) to lead the all-time Asia Cup ODI six-hitting charts.


3. Virat Kohli nears century record

Virat Kohli, with three hundreds, is currently the third highest century maker behind Sri Lankan greats Sanath Jayasuriya (6) and Kumar Sangakkara (4) in Asia Cup ODI matches. The Indian batting veteran might well surpass Sangakkara's tally and can even equal or near Jayasuriya's record in this edition.


4. Sharma, Kohli near personal milestones

Apart from nearing a number of Asia Cup records in the 2023 edition, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are also inching closer to their personal batting milestones. For starters, Sharma needs only 163 runs to complete 10,000 runs in his ODI career. In doing so, he will become only the 15th batsman in the world and the sixth Indian to reach the landmark figure.

Kohli, meanwhile, is 102 away from becoming only the fifth batsman in the world to complete 13,000 ODI runs. The leader of the race, Sachin Tendulkar, is currently sitting on the pile of over 18,000 runs in the format.