Ishan Kishan Surpasses Suryakumar Yadav To Become India's Highest T20I Run-Scorer In A Calendar Year

Ishan Kishan etched his name into the record books on Sunday (November 1), becoming the highest run-scorer for India in T20 Internationals in a calendar year.

The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter achieved the milestone during the fifth T20I against New Zealand after surpassing Suryakumar Yadav's previous record.

Coming into the contest, Kishan needed just six runs to move past Suryakumar's tally of 1,164 runs, which the Indian captain had accumulated across 32 T20Is in 2022.

Kishan wasted little time, opening his account with a maximum off the fourth delivery he faced after New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner elected to bowl first.

With that six, Kishan took his 2026 T20I run tally to 1,165 in 37 matches, setting a new benchmark for Indian batters.

Interestingly, Kishan was not the only Indian with an opportunity to break Suryakumar's record. Abhishek Sharma, who entered the match with 1,153 runs from 39 T20Is this year, also had his sights on the milestone.

However, the explosive left-hander's innings ended almost immediately. He managed just one run off two deliveries before Adam Milne dismissed him in the second over, with Daryl Mitchell completing the catch after Abhishek attempted an aerial stroke.

Sanju Samson occupies third place among India's leading T20I run-getters in 2026. The Kerala wicketkeeper-batter has scored 810 runs in 30 appearances. Despite his impressive year, Samson could contribute only four runs from 10 deliveries in the fifth T20I before falling to Milne.

While Kishan now leads the Indian charts, the overall world record remains with Austria's Karanbir Singh, who smashed 1,488 runs in 32 T20Is in 2025. Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan follows with 1,326 runs in 2021.