Most runs in a calendar year in T20Is

Srihari
Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle has most of the T20 records but doesn't feature in this list

Although T20s may be the most popular format in cricket at the moment, the majority of the matches that are played in the format are domestic ones. In fact, while there are plenty domestic T20 matches that happen around the globe, the number of T20I matches for any side in a year is rarely in excess of 15.

Unlike ODIs and Tests, no player has been able to score more than 1,000 runs in a calendar year and so far only one has even breached the 500-run mark mainly due to the lack of games that teams play in a year.

Somewhat surprisingly, Chris Gayle, who holds four of the top five best tally of runs in a calendar year in T20s doesn't feature in the top five, while two Indians do. So who holds the record for the most runs in the calendar year in T20Is?

5. Sabbir Rahman (2016)

Sabbir Rahman

Arguably the most surprising addition on this list is that of Sabbir Rahman. While his place on this list might be down to the fact that only Rohit Sharma has played more T20I games than him in 2016 (on this list), there can be little doubt about his consistency and whether he deserves a spot on this list.

By virtue of playing in the Asia Cup, the qualifying stage of the World T20 and the World T20 that followed it earlier in the year, Sabbir Rahman has managed to score in excess of 450 runs in a calendar year despite having just two T20I fifties to his name.

While his tally of fifties is the lowest on this list, given the fact that Bangladesh might yet play some T20Is before the year comes to an end, he might finish the year much higher than fifth place, which will be a massive achievement, irrespective of how many games he has played.

4. Tillakaratne Dilshan (2009) and Virat Kohli (2012)

Dilshan, Kohli

In fourth place are Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan and Virat Kohli who both scored 471 runs in a calendar year in T20Is. While this is Dilshan's first and only appearance on this, the Indian batsman appears once more and is the only batsman to do so.

Both players achieved the tally in different years and it is the Sri Lankan who has the better numbers for once. Not only did he play in fewer matches (12 to Virat Kohli's 14) but he has the same amount of runs at a better average, strike rate and with more fifties (5 to Kohli's 4). In fact, Dilshan's tally of fours in the calendar year has only been bettered by one batsman.

While neither player got a century in that year, they still did more than enough to score a ton of runs and only time will tell if Dilshan's record of most runs in a calendar year in T20Is for a Sri Lankan will stand for a few more years yet.

3. Martin Guptill (2012)

Martin Guptill

Since teams don't play a lot of T20Is aside from the World T20, it is always difficult to score a lot of runs in the format, especially when you consider that you sometimes play just one or two matches in an entire tour and then play another months later on the next tour.

Getting consistency and a good run going is difficult in T20Is partly because of the stop-start nature of the format and the games played. However, the tables are turned in a World T20 year where you have at least a few games on the bounce where you can hit a good run of form and score a few runs. And that is precisely what Martin Guptill did it in 2012 when he scored 472 in the calendar year, which remained the record for most runs in a calendar year in T20Is until this year.

In his 13 games that year, the Kiwi opener managed 472 runs at an average of 47.2 and a strike of 130. In fact, although he hit only two fifties in that year in the format, he also scored a hundred despite having scored the fewest boundaries of anyone on this list.

2. Rohit Sharma (2016)

Rohit Sharma

The only Indian apart from Virat Kohli to make this list is Rohit Sharma. Having played more matches than anyone else on this list, it is no surprise that the Indian limited-overs opener makes it at No.2 despite having the worst average of anyone on this list.

While an average of nearly 30 in T20Is isn't exactly bad, as an opener, that's not especially impressive either but through sheer volume of games, Rohit has scored more than all but one player in the history of T20Is in a calendar year. With a highest score of 83 and four fifties in his 18 matches, Rohit has a tally of 497 runs in 2016.

If India, who aren't scheduled to play another T20I for the rest of the year, don't, then his tally of 497 runs from 18 matches at an average of 29 and strike rate of 131 will go down as the second-best in T20I history in a calendar year. That is of course, assuming that none of the others steal a march on him while he isn't playing but that looks likely as Bangladesh's Sabbir Rahman is just 34 runs behind with four months of the year still remaining.

1. Virat Kohli (2016)

Virat Kohli

He may not have performed to his lofty expectations in the first T20I against West Indies but even before that series, he had already managed to score the most runs in a calendar year in T20Is and become the first batsman to cross the 500-run mark in a year in T20Is.

Virat Kohli may not have a T20I to play for the rest of the year according to the current schedule but he has already scored enough runs to ensure that his record will stand for a while yet. While no batsman has ever managed to cross 500 runs in a calendar year in T20Is, Kohli's tally for 2016 stands at 641.

While he may have just played 15 matches in the calendar year, he still managed to rack up seven fifties in 13 innings and have a scarcely believable average in excess of hundred for 2016. While his tally of runs may eventually be broken, an average like that for an entire year should be safe for some time yet, if he doesn't break himself in the upcoming years.

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Edited by Staff Editor