Who is the God of T20 Cricket: Rohit Sharma vs Chris Gayle vs Rashid Khan
In every sport there have been players who have dominated the game to such a level that they are referred to as the Gods of that sport. There are players like Messi and Ronaldo in football or Michael Jordan and Lebron James for Basketball, who are truly once in a lifetime talents. In cricket too, the way Sachin Tendulkar batted in the Test and ODI formats has elevated his stature so high that he is known as the God of Cricket. But the same cannot be said for the newest format of the game, the T20 Format. Who is the God of T20 Cricket format?
Is it the highest T20I run scorer Virat Kohli, or is it Rohit Sharma, or is it Babar Azam or is it someone else?
Let’s decode this in this article by ZAP, and who is the God of T20 Cricket.
Who is the real God of T20 Cricket?
Credit: News24 Hindi
The T20 format is the newest and the most popular format of the game. The reach of this format, unlike Tests and ODIs, is not limited to just international matches between countries, but the leagues that happen around the world. Though Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are one of the best batsmen in the format, with the most runs in the T20 Internationals, they cannot be considered to be the God of Twenty20 Cricket for one major reason. Neither of them have won the greatest trophy in Twenty20, the ICC T20 World Cup Trophy. And also, they already hold the title of being the king. Virat Kohli without a doubt is the King of Modern Cricket in all formats, and the people of Pakistan consider Babar as their king of cricket. So, we’re left with three players who can be considered the God of T20 Cricket, Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma, and Rashid Khan. So let's figure out, who is the God of T20 Cricket among those three?
Read More: Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam
Chris Gayle:
Credit: The Indian Express
There’s no conversation about Twenty20s without the utter mayhem, insanity, and flamboyance that Christopher Henry Gayle brought to the cricket pitch in his prime years. The format is known for power hitting and pelting the bowlers with the cricket bat. Chris Gayle did just that. In his prime, he terrified every bowler in the world and had the ability to smack any ball out of the ground. Not just in the international format, he has played Twenty20 format around the globe, like in the IPL, Big Bash League, CPL, PSL, and many other leagues, and is truly an ambassador of the format. Chris Gayle’s 175 runs of 66 balls in the IPL still remains the highest t20 score by a batsman. He also holds the record for scoring the fastest T20 century when he scored a hundred in just 30 balls in the same match. Chris Gayle holds the record for the most runs in the T20 format with 14562 runs while playing over 463 matches across his 16-year career. Chris Gayle has scored 22 T20 centuries, the most by any batsman, and has hit over 1000 sixes in the format with a strike rate of 144.75, showing that he is one of the best power hitters in the game. His stats with the West Indies team in T20Is are equally amazing, having scored 2 international centuries and won 2 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Trophies, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest players of the format.
Rohit Sharma:
Credit: India Today
Rohit Sharma is one of the greatest opening batsmen to ever grace the sport. Not just in the Twenty20 Format, he has been a batting legend in the ODI and Test Format as well. He also holds the record for the highest score in ODI Cricket history, when he smashed Sri Lanka for 264 runs. When talking about the Twenty20 format, there’s no batter in the world right now who is more lethal than Rohit Sharma. While opening the batting, he can smack the swinging leather ball in the powerplay right from the get-go. Rohit Sharma holds the record for the most sixes in T20I format hitting 190 sixes, which shows that he is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball. In terms of run-scoring as well, as of 25th January 2024, he is the second-highest run-scorer in international Twenty20 International Matches with 3974, only second behind Virat Kohli. Rohit Sharma also holds the record for the most centuries in T20Is (5). He excels in terms of trophies as well, having won the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in 2007 with the Indian Cricket Team and has lifted 5 IPL Trophies with the Mumbai Indians IPL Team. Every stat points out that Rohit Sharma could be the God of T20 Cricket.
Rashid Khan:
Credit: ESPN Cricinfo
Rashid Khan from Afghanistan is like the poster boy of T20 cricket format and has shown that the shortest format of the game doesn’t have to be dominated only by batsmen. His leg spin bowling is as effective to change the course of a match as of a batsman’s half century. Even though Afghanistan is not the best T20I sides in the game, and would probably never be able to lift the T20 World Cup Trophy, Rashid Khan has kept them relevant throughout his career and his contributions to the format cannot be disregarded. At just 25 years of age, he is Afghanistan’s National Team Captain, often being the brightest spot in the team. Rashid Khan has picked up over 130 wickets in T20Is and is the 4th highest wicket taker in the format, and with the number of years he has left in his career, will soon break all records. Rashid Khan’s ICC T20I Ranking as of January 2024 is 7th. Not just with the leather ball, he is also one of the best finishers in the death having the ability to smack bowlers out of the ground with ease. This makes him one of the best all rounders in Twenty20 and also an invaluable player for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. Rashid Khan, at such a young age, has played in over 400 Twenty20 matches around the world and has picked up 556 wickets in the format. And with the potential and time he has left in his career, there’s no way why he cannot go on to be the greatest T20 player in cricket history.
Rohit Sharma vs Chris Gayle vs Rashid Khan: Who is the God of T20 Cricket?
All three Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma and Rashid Khan have incredible stats and records in the T20 format, but there can only be one God of T20 Cricket. Rashid Khan, while displaying his talent in both bowling and batting, still has significant milestones ahead in his career to be crowned the God of T20s. Rohit Sharma will without a doubt go down as one of the greatest T20 batsmen and captain of all time, but his brilliance primarily is only with the Indian team and in the IPL. However, when we dissect the title of the ultimate God of T20s, Chris Gayle emerges as the frontrunner. While having two ICC T20 World Cups, his dominance extends beyond his national team, as he has been a force to be reckoned with in Twenty20 leagues globally. With a ferocious batting technique, record-setting centuries, and a colossal impact on the global Twenty20 stage, Chris Gayle undeniably is the true God of T20 Cricket.
Conclusion:
Chris Gayle is known as the God of T20 Cricket now, but it is highly likely that in the future people may not acknowledge his legacy because of the human nature of recency bias. But, records are meant to be broken, and there’s no stopping another player from breaking his records and taking his place. Just like Rashid Khan in the race to become the future God of T20s, Shubman Gill, who is known as the current Prince of Indian Cricket has also shown the potential to take on the mantle of the King. Let’s see in 20 years from now, who will be called the God and who will emerge as the new king.
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