List of records KL Rahul created during the 5-match T20I series against New Zealand

KL Rahul came into New Zealand tour with the uncertainty of his position in India’s T20I XI despite his success in the home season. Rahul was the standout performer for India with the bat throughout this 5-match T20I series as he was the top-scorer with 224 runs. He gave quick starts for India in all five T20Is while playing as a keeper that which fetched him the player of the series award. This series has ensured Rahul will be a key player in India’s T20I line-up alongside Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah.

All the stats and records that KL Rahul scripted during India’s 5-0 series win over New Zealand:

1 – KL Rahul, with the scores of 56 and 57* in the first two matches of this series, became the first player in the history of T20I cricket to score fifties in first two matches as a wicketkeeper. Rahul also became the first Indian to score a fifty in his maiden T20I as a keeper and only the 2nd Indian keeper after MS Dhoni to score multiple T20I fifties.

1 – Rahul received the player of the series award for his 224 runs and 4 dismissals. He is the first Indian wicketkeeper to receive a player of the series award in the T20I format. KLR was awarded the player of the match for his unbeaten fifty in the 2nd T20I. He thus became only the 2nd Indian keeper to receive a player of the match award in T20Is after Dinesh Karthik (vs Bangladesh in 2018 Nidahas Trophy final).

3 – KL Rahul became only the 3rd Indian player with three consecutive fifty-plus scores in Men’s T20I cricket. He scored a fifty in his last T20I coming into the series – 54 against Sri Lanka in Pune 2020. Virat Kohli had three such streaks (2012, 2014 and 2016) while Rohit Sharma scored three consecutive fifties in 2018.

24 – KL Rahul completed 1000 runs in the T20I format as an opener during the 5th T20I. As many as 19 players in Men’s cricket and 12 players in Women’s cricket aggregated 1000 T20I runs as an opener.

Rahul got to the milestone is 24 innings; the quickest of all the 31 players with 1000+ T20I runs while opening. Aaron Finch, Colin Munro and Mithali Raj were the previous fastest as the three players needed 29 innings to get their 1000th T20I run as an opener.

200+ – Rahul became the first Indian to amass 200+ runs in a bilateral series in Men’s T20I cricket. The previous most were 199 runs by Virat Kohli during the 3-match away T20I series in 2016 against Australia. Kohli scored fifty-plus runs in all the three matches of the series.

KL Rahul records most runs by an Indian in a T20I series, breaks Virat Kohli’s record

224 – Rahul’s series aggregate of 224 is now the 2nd highest for any player in a bilateral T20I series. Mozambique’s Francis Damiao Couana scored 233 runs during their 7-match T20I series against Malawi in November 2019.

224 – The 224 runs by KL Rahul are also the most by a wicketkeeper in a T20I series/tournament in Men’s cricket. Rahul surpassed the tally of 222 runs by Craig Kieswetter and Mohammad Shahzad in 2010 WT20 and 2016 WT20 respectively. Alyssa Healy’s 225 runs in the 2018 Women’s WT20 are the most by a wicketkeeper in a T20I series/tournament across Men’s and Women’s cricket.

4000 – KL Rahul completed 4000 runs in Twenty20 cricket during the 4th T20I in Wellington. He needed only 117 innings to reach the milestone which made him the fastest Indian and the 4th quickest player overall.

Stats: KL Rahul completes 4000 runs in the Twenty20 format