Rohit Sharma, India’s former captain, is close to reaching another significant milestone. He needs 98 more runs to get 20,000 international runs. If he does, he’ll join a small group of legendary Indian batsmen, showing how well he’s played for so long in all forms of the game.
In 502 matches, Rohit has scored 19,902 international runs. His career has been great because he can adapt and keep performing well. His stats are impressive: 4,301 runs in 67 Tests, 4,231 runs in T20 Internationals, and 11,370 runs in One-Day Internationals. Being able to do well in different situations and against different bowling attacks has been a key part of India’s batting strength for over ten years. When Rohit passes this mark, he’ll be in the same exclusive group as Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and Rahul Dravid. Tendulkar leads with 34,357 international runs, with Kohli (27,673) and Dravid (24,064) behind him. Being among these players shows how important Rohit has become in Indian cricket.
Rohit is coming back to play in the three-game ODI series against South Africa, starting November 30 at the JSCA Stadium. Since he’s close to the record, this series is a chance for him to make his career even better.
At this point, Rohit only plays ODIs for his country. Following the 2024 World Cup, he quit T20 Internationals, and earlier this year, he stopped playing Test cricket. He decided to focus on ODIs alone. This lets him handle his workload and still be a big help in One Day International cricket. He should be confident going into the South Africa series after his great, not-out score of 121 runs from 125 balls against Australia in Sydney. His innings included 13 fours and three sixes. It helped India get a win after they were down 2-0, showing how important he is at the top.
Virat Kohli is also likely to be back for the series, along with Rohit. Both experienced batsmen are pressured to lead. India wants to get back on track after losing 2-0 at home to South Africa earlier in the week, making their most skilled players very important. Reaching 20,000 runs is a big deal for any batter. Whether Rohit Sharma gets there in Ranchi or later, it shows how he’s bounced back, changed his game, and scored runs over the years. When he hits that mark, he’ll be right up there with India’s best, marking a high point in a career that’s already full of success.