Veteran India and Uttar Pradesh cricketer Suresh Raina today became the first from the country to score 8000 runs in T20 cricket. While doing so, the left-hander also became only the 2nd Indian after MS Dhoni to complete 300 matches in the shortest format of the game. The former Indian captain achieved the feat against New Zealand earlier this month.
While turning up for his State side against Puducherry in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, the left-hander needed just 11 runs to reach 8000 career runs and Raina did exactly that and scored one more before falling to the bowling of P Thamaraikannan. His team though went on to post 179/4 before restricting the opposition for 102/6 in their 20 overs.
The middle-order batsman now sits at sixth position amongst all-time leading scorers in T20s with Chris Gayle leading the charts with 12,298 runs in 369 matches, followed by Brendon McCullum (9922 runs in 370 matches), Kieron Pollard (8838 runs in 451 matches), Shoaib Malik (8603 in 340 matches) and David Warner (8111 in 259 matches).
Indian captain Virat Kohli is not far behind his senior with 7833 runs in 251 matches while his deputy Rohit Sharma lies 10th with 7795 runs in 299 matches. Rohit has the chance to surpass Dwayne Smith (7799 runs in 331 matches) in the ongoing T20 series against Australia.
Raina also recently hit his 300th six in T20s becoming only the second Indian to the landmark after Sharma, who has now hit 326 sixes in his career. By the way, there are no surprises as to who leads this particular list as well, with Gayle's 905 towering above the rest. Countryman Keiron Pollard is a far second with 572 maximums and Brendon McCullum's 485 hits over the fence round up the top-3.
