Top 5 highest runs by an Indian batter in a bilateral T20I series ft. Ruturaj Gaikwad 

Team India sneaked a memorable win as they defeated Australia by six runs in the recently concluded fifth T20I at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday, December 3. With the win, India ended the five-match T20I series with a dominating 4-1 scoreline.

On a track where stroke-making wasn't easy, India made 160 in the first innings. Shreyas Iyer, who made 53, played brilliantly while Axar Patel (31) and Jitesh Sharma (24) also had handy cameos.

In reply, Travis Head wasted little time and made 28 off 18. Ben McDermott, who hit five sixes, made a half-century which kept Australia in the hunt.

However, the Indian spin duo of Axar Patel (1/14) and Ravi Bishnoi (2/29) chocked the Aussie batting unit. They didn't allow to make runs freely while Mukesh Kumar also delivered his career-best figures of 3/32 as India restricted Australia to 154/8.

It proved to be a highly successful series for India, who gave chances to fresh players. With the T20 World Cup 2024 scheduled to take place in June next year, all the players had to make their opportunities count.

One individual who certainly made his impact was none other than Ruturaj Gaikwad. The right-hander ended up as the highest run-getter of the series with 223 runs.

His 223 runs also etched Gaikwad among the Indian players with the most runs scored in T20I bilaterals. On that note, let's take a look at the top five highest runs by an Indian batter in a T20I bilateral series.

[Stat credit: @rhitankar8616]

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#5 204 runs - Shreyas Iyer vs Sri Lanka in 2022 (3 T20Is)

Shreyas Iyer after his fifty vs Sri Lanka in 2022 [Getty Images]

In February 2022, Sri Lanka toured India for a three-match T20I series, where Shreyas Iyer completely stole the show. The flamboyant batter, who was slotted at No. 3, scored rapid half-centuries in all the three fixtures.

He started the series with a quick-fire 57* in Lucknow, where India recorded a 62-run victory. Then, the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala hosted two T20Is on consecutive days.

Iyer smashed 74* and 73* in both of those fixtures, respectively, and ended the series with 204 runs across three innings. Interestingly, he was never dismissed in those T20Is and became the Indian with the most runs in a three-match T20I series, beating Virat Kohli (199 vs Australia in 2016) on the list.

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#4 206 - Ishan Kishan vs South Africa in 2022 (5 matches)

Ishan Kishan during the T20I series vs South Africa

Right after the IPL 2022, India hosted South Africa for a five-match T20I series. The series commenced in Delhi, where Ishan Kishan starred for India and scored 76 off 48 balls. He made 34 in the next game but the Men in Blue lost both of the first two games.

Then, India made a remarkable comeback in the series and won the next two games before the series-deciding fifth T20I ended in a no-result due to rain.

Kishan, who made a half-century in the third T20I, ended up as the highest run-getter with 206 runs at an average of 41.20 across five innings.

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#3 223 runs - Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Australia in 2023 (5 matches)

Ruturaj Gaikwad after his 100 vs Australia [Getty Images]

The latest entrant on the list, Ruturaj Gaikwad made 223 runs in the recent five-match T20I series against Australia which led to his inclusion. With no Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill in the squad, Gaikwad had a terrific opportunity to make his claim on the opening slot.

He certainly did his best and gave the selectors a genuine headache for the coming series. The series began on the worst possible note for Gaikwad, who was out on a diamond duck in the first T20I.

He then made a cautious 58 in the second game before coming up with his best T20I knock. In the third T20I in Guwahati, Gaikwad notched up an unbeaten 123 in just 57 balls. Unfortunately for India, Glenn Maxwell outdid Gaikwad's century with his amazing 48-ball 104*.

Gaikwad followed up his hundred with scores of 28 and 10 to end the series with 223 runs at an average of 55.75 across five innings.

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#2 224 runs - KL Rahul vs New Zealand in 2020 (5 matches)

KL Rahul vs New Zealand in 2020 [Getty Images]

KL Rahul finds himself in the second position as the wicketkeeper-batter scored 224 runs during India's 5-0 win over New Zealand away from home in January 2020.

In the first two T20Is in Auckland, Rahul made a couple of half-centuries for India while opening the batting. He made a quick-fire 56 off 27 in the first T20I before remaining unbeaten at 57 in the second innings.

While Rahul did get starts in the remaining three T20Is, he couldn't manage to convert them into big ones. His scores in the next three T20Is read 27, 39, and 45. Rahul even scored a total of 15 runs in the two Super Overs that were played in the series. However, the runs made during the Super Over don't get counted as international runs. Hence, they are not included in the list.

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#1 231 runs - Virat Kohli vs England in 2021 (5 matches)

Virat Kohli during the 5th T20I vs England in 2021 [Getty Images]

Back in February 2021, England toured India for a multi-format series that spanned almost two months. After clinching the Test series 3-1, India also won the T20I series 3-2. Indian skipper Virat Kohli was the standout performer in the T20I leg and was adjudged the Player of the Series as well.

Kohli was out on a duck in the opening T20I before making an unbeaten 73 in India's chase in the second game. The third T20I also saw him make 77* in the first innings, but India lost that particular game.

India made the scoreline of the series 2-2, but Kohli added just one run in the fourth T20I. However, in the series-clinching fifth T20I, Kohli proved to be the difference-maker. He accumulated 80 runs in 52 balls, which helped India win the game by 36 runs.

Kohli ended the series with 231 runs at an immaculate average of 115.50. His 231 runs are the most by an Indian batter in a single T20I bilateral series.