Shabman Gul He added another chapter to his illustrious rise in international cricket by becoming the fastest Indian batsman to reach 3,000 ODI runs during the opening match of the three-match series against Afghanistan in Dharamsala on Saturday.The Indian skipper achieved the historic milestone in his 61st innings, eclipsing Shikhar Dhawan’s previous Indian record of 72 innings. Only former South African opener Hashim AmlaGayle, who achieved the feat in 57 innings, quickly reached the milestone, making him the second fastest batsman to reach 3000 runs in ODI history.The latest milestone further underscored Gill’s growing stature as one of the premier batsmen in world cricket.Gill, who made his ODI debut against New Zealand in January 2019, has had a brilliant start to his ODI career. The right-hander comfortably reached 3,000 runs at an average above 55 while maintaining a strike rate of around 100, highlighting his ability to combine consistency with attacking strokeplay.Former South African opener Hashim Amla holds the world record, he completed 3000 runs in just 57 innings. Gayle’s effort put him ahead of a distinguished group that includes West Indies’ Shai Hope and Pakistan batsmen Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq, who all played 67 innings to reach the milestone.The Punjab batsman also surpassed former India opener Dhawan, whose 72-innings effort stood as the national standard for many years.Gill’s latest feat adds to an already impressive ODI resume that includes eight centuries and multiple match-winning performances. The 26-year-old has established himself as the cornerstone of India’s batting unit across all formats.Earlier in the match, debutants Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar took wickets apiece, but Rahmanullah Garbaz’s blistering 102 saw Afghanistan post 194 in a rain-hit first ODI against India in Dharamsala.Incessant rain earlier in the day restricted the contest to 25 overs per side.Dubey was a bit 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 openers who played a brilliant innings of 102 runs off just 51 balls. His innings included eight fours and eight sixes and helped Afghanistan to a competitive total.
