Most runs in a calendar year across all formats

When you think of most runs, the first name that comes to everyone's mind is Sachin Tendulkar. While the Indian batsman does hold the record for the most runs in Tests and ODIs, he doesn't hold the record for most runs in a calendar year across all formats. In fact, not only does he not hold the world record, he doesn't even feature in the top ten.

The tally of 2,500 runs in a calendar year has only been crossed 13 times in the history of cricket. Only three players have managed to cross that tally twice. Ricky Ponting was the first to achieve that. Kumar Sangakkara was second and Virat Kohli just became the third player to do it.

Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kane Williamson, Angelo Mathews and Joe Root have done it once. But who among them features in the top five?

Here are the top five players with the most runs in a calendar year across all formats:

#5 Angelo Mathews - 2,687 runs

Occupying fifth place is Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews, courtesy of his record-breaking year in 2014. Consistently delivering across the 53 matches that he played across all formats, Mathews showed that while he might be an all-rounder, he is still one of the finest batsmen to emerge from the island nation.

In 53 matches, the all-rounder finished with 2,687 runs at an average of 65.53. Despite scoring a mountain of runs, he could only manage four centuries in the calendar year, although he did have 17 fifties to his name.

Far too often, he was putting out fires and while many of them were successful, he didn't always get the chance to get a big score on the board for himself. Evident from the fact that his highest score in 2014 was only 160 but he did finish unbeaten 18 times, which is the most for any batsman with more than 2,000 runs in a calendar year.

Despite all of his efforts, not only was Mathews not even the highest run scorer in the calendar year, but not even the highest run-getter in his side in 2014 as his teammate broke the world record in that year.

#4 Kane Williamson - 2,692 runs

Williamson was simply unstoppable in 2015

From a young age, Kane Williamson was always destined for greatness. But few could have foreseen his development from a prodigiously gifted teenager who captained his side in the under-19 World Cup to the all-conquering batsman who could go on to rule international cricket.

2015 was when Williamson was at the peak of his powers in an international career that is just over 200 games old. That was the year in which he crossed 2,500 runs in a calendar year for the first time in his career and finished with an average of over 65.

His career-best Test score 242* came against Sri Lanka at Wellington in his first Test of the year, which set the tone for the rest of the year. Although he played just eight Tests in 2015, he still finished with 1,172 runs at an average of over 90 with five centuries and four fifties. Among those five centuries, two came in Australia and one was at Lord's.

He was part of the New Zealand side that reached the World Cup final and amassed over 1,000 runs in ODIs as well. While he only had three ODI centuries to his name, he was unlucky to not have more as he was dismissed in the nineties five times.

#3 Virat Kohli - 2,818* runs

2017 has been a record-breaking year for Virat Kohli

It has been a record-breaking year for Virat Kohli in 2017. The man who has redefined the word consistency has once again proven just why he is widely regarded as one of the finest batsmen of his generation. In the history of cricket, the Indian captain became the first player to record 2,500 runs or more in back-to-back years.

That is far from the only record that he has broken. The 29-year-old became the first captain to record 10 centuries in a calendar year and has also broken Rahul Dravid's record (2,626) of most runs in a calendar year by an Indian batsman and the Indian record of most fifty-plus scores in a calendar year. He also overtook Brian Lara and claimed the world record for most Test double centuries as captain in the third Test against Sri Lanka when he scored his sixth double ton and his career-best Test score.

Kohli has 11 centuries in 2017 across all formats, which is second on the list of most tons in a calendar year behind only Sachin Tendulkar's 12. His six international centuries against Sri Lanka in 2017 are the most by any batsman against a country in a calendar, along with Sachin Tendulkar and Desmond Haynes, who both scored six against Australia.

Thanks to a record-breaking year, his tally of 2,818 runs in 2017 has propelled him to third place. Unfortunately, in his final innings of 2017, he scored a fifty and in the pursuit of quick runs lost his wicket just short of the record.

*updated after Kohli's dismissal on day four of the third IND-SL Test.

#2 Ricky Ponting - 2,833 runs

Ponting has broken the world record for most runs in a calendar year twice

Only two batsmen have ever managed to cross 2,800 runs in a calendar year in international cricket. Ricky Ponting was the first to do so when he broke the world record for most runs in a calendar year across all formats in 2005. The record, which he already held after overtaking Rahul Dravid's tally from 1999 was broken by the former Australian captain in 2005.

While his record has since been broken, Ponting still holds the record for most runs in a calendar year as captain and the record for most fifty-plus scores in a calendar year as captain as well. Although Australia lost the Ashes in 2005, he had a sensational year in Tests, scoring over 1,500 runs from 15 matches at an average of almost 70 with six centuries, including a double century against Pakistan in the New Year's Test.

In ODIs, Ponting amassed over 1,000 runs as well after beginning with a century against Asia XI at Melbourne in his first ODI of the year. For nine years, the legendary Australian skipper held the world record until it was broken.

#1 Kumar Sangakkara - 2,868 runs

They say you should always go when they are wondering why instead of why not. Kumar Sangakkara certainly perfected that when he called time on his career even as his ability to make runs continued to be improving. That was evident in 2014 when the Sri Lankan batsman broke the record for most runs in a calendar year across all formats.

It was also the year in which he recorded his career-best calendar year tally in Tests and second-best in ODIs and also the fourth-consecutive year in which he amassed over 1,000 runs in a calendar year in ODIs.

In 48 matches, Sangakkara scored 2,868 runs at an average of over 50 and broke the world record for not only the most runs in a calendar year but also the most fifty-plus scores as well. It was also the year in which he scored his career-best Test score of 319, which came against Bangladesh and among his three other Test centuries in 2014 was a double century against Pakistan, a century at Lord's and one more in the same Test against Bangladesh.