4 Batsmen who can scale ‘Mt. 200’ in T20s

The game of cricket has been evolving ever since its inception. The latest phase of this cricketing evolution is the T20 format. The first T20 competition was played in England in 2003 and the format has garnered unparalleled popularity ever since.

The advent of T20 cricket has enhanced the skill-set of players exponentially. Batsmen these days can come up with shots all around the park while bowlers have developed variations that are hard to decipher. Despite the improvement from both sides, one can say that it is the batsmen who have benefited more.

Nowadays, limited overs cricket is characterized by better bats, smaller outfields and pitches resembling runways. ‘Reverse Swing’, which had been a potent weapon for the bowlers at the end of the 20th Century, has been on the wane. The lush green outfields are a major culprit. This has led to the batsmen getting more joy than ever before.

Recently, Aaron Finch notched up the highest individual score in a T20 international when he bludgeoned the Zimbabwean bowlers on his way to a score of 172. He fell three runs short of the highest individual T20 score ever, a record which currently belongs to Chris Gayle.

These hitting sprees coupled with better batting conditions lead one to believe that a T20 double hundred may not be too far away. At this juncture, it looks more a case of when, rather than if.

Through this article, we will look at 4 batsmen who have the ability to scale the seemingly insurmountable ‘Mt. 200’ peak.

1. Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma or ‘Hitman’ has been a devastating limited overs batsmen since he made the move to open the innings. He is the only batsmen to hold the unique record of having three T20 international hundreds and 3 ODI double hundreds.

Though consistency is not his biggest asset, when he's in form, he can wreak havoc even against the best of bowling attacks.

Rohit’s highest score in T20s is 118, which came against Sri Lanka in December 2017. His century came off a mere 35 balls. His other T20 international hundreds include impressive knocks against South Africa and England.

Rohit has shown a penchant for going on hitting sprees, with his monumental 264 against Sri Lanka being another example.

He has a T20 strike rate of 133 and is equally comfortable playing seam and spin. With shots all around the park, the ‘Hitman’ is the prime suspect to break the T20 double hundred barrier.

2. Chris Gayle

The ‘Universal Boss’ has had a quiet time of late and has not been in great touch. But whenever one compiles a list of players likely to score a T20 double hundred, Chris Gayle has to be in it.

Gayle is the only player to have scored triple hundred in tests, a double century in ODIs and a T20I hundred. Over the years, Gayle has become somewhat of a specialist in the T20 format. At this moment, Gayle and T20s have become as synonymous with each other as cornflakes and milk.

Gayle boasts of an astounding strike rate of 148.5 in T20s and an average above 40. His highest score came against the Pune Warriors in the IPL. On that day, he was at his marauding best and hit 17 towering sixes on his way to 175*.

Gayle has crossed the century mark on 21 occasions in his T20 career. His hitting ability coupled with the skill of making his starts count earmarks him as a front-runner to break open the ‘200’ door.

Though Gayle is not the player he was half a decade ago, he still has the hitting prowess to scale Mt. 200. All he needs to do is go on one of his six-hitting rampages, and the elusive T20 double hundred might just be within reach.

ICC World Twenty20 India 2016: West Indies v England

3. Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch, the stocky Victorian, has the two highest T20 individual scores to his name. His 172 against Zimbabwe eclipsed his 156 against England.

Finch possesses an impressive T20 record. He averages at 35.93 while striking at 143. In addition to this, he has 5 T20 hundreds to his credit. Finch has the power and the skill to keep hitting bowlers out of the park.

He can play the horizontal bat strokes with as much efficiency as he can lofted shots. He is a good sweeper of the ball and that helps him in countering the threat posed by spinners.

To supplement this, Finch has a history of making his hundreds count for big scores. These attributes make him a prime candidate to land the first T20 double hundred.

With the boundaries not getting any smaller and the pitches becoming more placid by the minute, the 1st double hundred might be around the corner and Finch could possibly be one of the best bets.

CRICKET-ZIM-AUS-T20

4. Martin Guptill

Martin Guptill has been an indispensable white-ball cricketer for New Zealand over the past few years. He is an opener for New Zealand and provides them with rollicking starts, more often than not.

Guptill’s biggest strength is his ability to hit the ball straight and he has a reputation for posting huge scores. He has gone past 175 on three occasions in ODIs with his highest being 237* against West Indies. This shows that he is very difficult to stop when he gets going.

Guptill does not boast of an enviable T20 record. He has 3 centuries to his creddit while striking at 127. However, his ODI exploits make him a contender to score the 1st T20 double century.

There are only a handful of cricketers in world cricket who hit the ball as cleanly as Guptill. This makes him an even more difficult proposition to handle when you are up against him. If he goes berserk on a warm spring evening in Auckland, you wouldn’t count against Guptill creating history.

New Zealand v West Indies: Quarter Final - 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup