Ishan Kishan breaks Suryakumar Yadav’s record for most T20I runs for India in a calendar year
New Delhi: Ishan Kishan has broken former captain Suryakumar Yadav’s record for most runs by an Indian in a calendar year in T20Is. Kishan achieved the elusive feat during the final 5th T20I against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday, November 01.
Kishan needed only six runs to surpass Suryakumar, and he achieved the milestone on the 4th ball of his innings after coming out to bat at no.3 for India in the match. New Zealand won the toss in the final encounter and invited India to bat first in the game.
It was not the kind of start India were expecting as they lost openers and Sanju Samson cheaply in the Powerplay. Abhishek was dismissed on 1 off 2 balls, while Samson got caught on 4 of 10 balls. Both batters were dismissed by pacer Adam Milne.
However, Kishan then joined hands with skipper Shreyas Iyer to steady the ship for India with a brilliant partnership for the third wicket. The left-hander went on to notch up his fifty off just 28 balls and also broke Suryakumar’s record en route to the milestone.
Most runs for India in a calendar year in T20Is:
| Player | Matches | Innings | Runs | Highest Score | 100s | 50s | Ducks | Year |
| Ishan Kishan | 37 | 36 | 1165* | 103 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2026 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 31 | 31 | 1164 | 117 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 2022 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 39 | 38 | 1153* | 113 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 2026 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 21 | 21 | 859 | 135 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2025 |
| Sanju Samson | 30 | 29 | 809* | 97* | 0 | 8 | 2 | 2026 |
Ishan Kishan leading T20I run-scoring charts in 2026
Kishan was dismissed after playing a brilliant knock of 61 runs off 36 balls, laced with five sixes and as many fours in the fifth T20I against New Zealand. With the help of his 61-run knock, the left-hander extended his dominance in the T20I run-scoring charts for 2026. Kishan is the highest run-getter in T20Is so far this year with 1220 runs in 37 matches at an average of over 35 and a strike rate of 171.58, including 8 fifties and 1 century.
He is followed closely by his Indian teammate Abhishek Sharma, who has so far scored 1153 runs in 39 T20Is this year at a strike rate of over 205. Kishan has enjoyed a remarkable year so far. He forced his way back into India’s T20I setup after his stellar performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and has not looked back ever since.
Kishan played a key role in India’s memorable triumph in the T20 World Cup 2026 and has continued his impressive run with the bat for India in T20Is.