Saturday brings something fresh to Dharamshala. India face Afghanistan in a bilateral ODI for the very first time, kicking off a three-match series that feels like the start of a brand new 50-over cycle. With the 2027 World Cup already looming on the horizon, Shubman Gill takes the captaincy reins. Rohit Sharma is back in the mix, too. Meanwhile, the selectors have handed opportunities to three uncapped names, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, and Prince Yadav, while Jasprit Bumrah gets a well-earned rest to manage his workload.
There is plenty to chew on. Yet, one individual storyline completely dominates the build-up.
Shreyas Iyer, currently serving as India’s T20I skipper and the vice-captain in this format, sits on 2,977 ODI runs from 70 innings. He needs exactly 23 more. Do it, and history is rewritten.
If he ticks off those runs on Saturday, Iyer becomes the quickest Indian to reach the 3,000-run milestone in ODI cricket. He would do it in just 70 knocks, eclipsing Shikhar Dhawan’s previous national record of 72 innings set during the left-hander's golden opening era. Even if he misses out on Saturday and needs another go later in the series, he will still equal Dhawan rather than fall behind him. The door is wide open.
Globally, the numbers are a bit bruising for anyone else's ego. Hashim Amla absolutely smashed the record by reaching the milestone in a ridiculous 57 innings. Shai Hope managed it in 67. On the subcontinent side of things, Virat Kohli needed 75 knocks, while KL Rahul took 78. Context is everything here. These achievements do not happen in a vacuum, and chasing down Dhawan puts Iyer in elite company.
From the international wilderness to number four
It has not been a straightforward journey. Iyer made his ODI debut way back in 2017, but things refused to click straight away. The selectors ran out of patience quickly. He had to endure the agony of watching the 2019 World Cup squad get selected from the sidelines. It was a massive blow for a young batter with his sights set on the top.
He did not sulk. He went back to domestic cricket, piled on the runs, and forced his way back into the national setup through sheer weight of runs.
By the time the 2023 World Cup came around, he had locked down the notoriously troublesome number four slot. He hammered 530 runs across that tournament, including a brilliant, unforgettable century in the semi-final against New Zealand. He backed that up with 243 runs at the Champions Trophy, finishing as India’s top scorer.
Dharamshala is hosting a bilateral ODI for the first time since 2017, providing a spectacular backdrop for the milestone. Whether Iyer gets there with a crisp boundary, a frantic nudge into the gap, or has to grind it out across two matches, the history books are waiting for him. Afghanistan’s spinners, led by Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, will make him work for every single run.
