India's T20I captain Shreyas Iyer is on the verge of scripting history as he stands just 23 runs away from achieving a monumental milestone for the country. With 2,977 runs under his belt from 70 innings, Iyer could breach the 3,000-run mark in the ODI series opener against Afghanistan on June 13.
Shreyas Iyer chases fastest 3000 ODI runs
Achieving this feat in his next outing will crown him as the fastest Indian ever to reach the 3,000-run milestone, eclipsing the current record held by former opener Shikhar Dhawan, who achieved it in 72 innings. Even if Iyer requires two innings to score these remaining runs, he will still join Dhawan as the joint-fastest Indian to hit the mark.
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Overall, the ultimate record belongs to South African legend Hashim Amla, who remarkably reached 3,000 ODI runs in just 57 innings, followed closely by the West Indies' Shai Hope at 67 innings. Within the Indian subcontinent's rankings, modern-day great Virat Kohli currently occupies the second spot behind Dhawan, having reached the landmark in 75 innings, while KL Rahul follows closely in third place after taking 78 innings to reach the milestone.
Shreyas Iyer's batting wizardry in ODIs
Iyer's impending achievement is a testament to his remarkable career turnaround after initially debuting in the format back in 2017. He spent significant time out of favor with the selectors and missed out on a spot in the 2019 ODI World Cup squad entirely. However, he successfully cemented his position as India’s premier number four batsman by the 2023 World Cup, where he amassed an impressive 530 runs. He followed that up by top-scoring for India at the Champions Trophy with 243 runs, a stellar run of form that eventually saw him rewarded with the vice-captaincy ahead of the 2025 Australia tour, where he continues to serve as the deputy to skipper Shubman Gill.
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Meanwhile, the itinerary for the highly anticipated white-ball series between India and Afghanistan will be spread across three venues. The series opener is scheduled to kick off with the first ODI in Dharamsala on Saturday, June 13. Following the series opener, the two teams will travel to Lucknow for the second encounter on June 17, before wrapping up the three-match series with the final ODI in Chennai on June 20.