Before the much-awaited T20 World Cup in October-November, India and Australia will square off in a three-match T20I series to prepare for the tournament. Both the teams are strong title contenders and the series will give both teams a reality check in terms of where they stand.
Australia are without the services of as many as four first-choice players, which does give India an advantage. Mohali will be hosting the opening game of the three-match series on Tuesday (September 20).
During the course of the series, the race for the top spot in the list of most run-scorers will resume once again and Virat Kohli will aim to jump to the numero uno position. The former India captain has been away from the top spot for a long time but is now just 37 runs away from regaining it.
The list is topped by Rohit Sharma, who has 3620 runs in 136 matches. Kohli sits at the 2nd spot with 3584 runs. Rohit acquired the top spot for a long time before he was dethroned by Martin Guptill a couple of months back. They exchanged their position in the list a few times before Rohit gained a comfortable lead over the New Zealand opener.
Courtesy of his form in Asia Cup 2022, Kohli leapfrogged Guptill and is now set to challenge his captain for the position. Guptill has 3497 runs and is very much in the race for the top position. With India, Australia and NZ set to play many T20Is on the road to the ICC event, the race to the top spot will be an interesting one.
Paul Stirling has 3011 runs in 114 T20Is and is at the 4th spot. He is followed by Australia captain Aaron Finch, who has 2855 runs in the shortest format. He can breach the 3000-run mark in the upcoming series.