Shikhar Dhawan broke this Tendulkar record in Champions Trophy semi-final

Becomes the fastest Indian to reach the 1,000 run landmark in ICC matches

India’s victory against South Africa at the Oval on Sunday was special, not only for the team and its billions of fans but also for opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan. Clearly, in the middle of a purple patch, the left-hander has continued his love affair with Champions Trophy. As he smashed yet another half-century, scoring 78 in India's chase of 192 runs, Dhawan broke the enviable record of master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and became the fastest batsman to score 1,000 runs in ICC one-day international matches.

While Tendulkar had taken 18 innings to reach the milestone, Dhawan did so in just 16. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who took 20 innings for 1,000 runs, is the third on the list.

While Dhawan has evidently raised his game in the present series, his relationship with ICC tournaments had begun way back in 2004, when he had scored 505 runs with three centuries in seven innings in the Under-19 World Cup. 

His next world tournament was the 2013 Champions Trophy in England, where he averaged 90.75 at a strike rate of 101, with two hundreds in five innings. The leading run-getter in the tournament, he also won the Man-of-the-Series award. Then came the 2015 World Cup in Australia, where Dhawan scored 412 at an average of 51.50 and a strike rate of almost 92. His eight innings in the tournament included 73 against Pakistan and 137 against South Africa. He was India's highest run-getter in the tournament, and fifth overall.

Does he raise his game for big events?

Dhawan’s performance in World T20s has been quite ordinary – he averages 10.57. In ODIs, his overall average of 44.36 looks pale when compared with the brilliant 69.14 at which he has scored in big tournaments of 50-over games. Clearly, he doesn't perform above par in all big tournaments across formats.

Also, his form coming in the last two Champions Trophy competitions has been very good. He was the third-highest run-scorer in IPL 2017. Similarly, in 2013, he had played Champions Trophy after an impressive IPL show and a century on debut in Tests. So, for him, it seems more like continuing productive patches than lifting the performance. Before the 2015 World Cup, though, he had had a poor Test and ODI series in Australia. But he managed to improve dramatically during the World Cup, played under similar conditions.

Top Knocks of Shikhar Dhawan in ICC tournaments 

Dhawan's 114 off 94 balls against South Africa in the first game of the 2013 Champions Trophy helped India reach 331 and start the tournament with a bang. In its next game, India had to chase the West Indies’ 233, and Dhawan made it easy with another century. In the 2015 World Cup, India's biggest win came against the much-fancied South Africa in group stages, and Dhawan, again, set it up with his 137 runs off 146 balls. That knock had also come on the back of a fifty against Pakistan and contributed to the win. In the 2017 Champions Trophy, his 125 off 128 against Sri Lanka had taken India to a total of 321.