Abki baar 400 paar: India unleash six-hitting assault in 2026, set new world record

Abhishek Sharma

India became the first team in cricket history to hit 400 sixes in a calendar year during the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday.

The milestone came in India's 40th match of 2026, when the batters struck 11 sixes to take their tally for the year to exactly 400.

The previous record belonged to Austria, who hit 326 sixes in 2025. Among full-member nations, India's previous best was 289 sixes in 2022, also across 40 matches. Their average has therefore risen from 7.2 sixes per match in 2022 to 10 this year.

All-rounder Naman Dhir hit the 400th six, top-edging a flick off Blair Tickner over the fine-leg boundary in the 19th over. India finished their innings at 191/8, with Ishan Kishan hitting five sixes during his 61 off 32 balls, Shreyas Iyer adding four in his 50 off 23 deliveries and Nitish Kumar Reddy contributing another six.

India have also set a record for the most sixes against a single opponent in a calendar year. Of their 400 sixes in 2026, 142 have come against New Zealand. Abhishek Sharma has led India's six-hitting tally with 86, followed by Kishan with 60 and Sanju Samson with 50.

The Indian innings went through three phases, starting with an early loss of wickets before Iyer and Kishan put together a strong partnership in the middle overs. Their stand of 107 runs came in just over seven overs and helped India recover from the early setbacks.

Both batters found their rhythm despite some assistance for the pacers from the pitch. However, New Zealand, led by Adam Milne's four-wicket haul, pulled things back towards the end to restrict India to 191/8 in their 20 overs. India had already taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series heading into the final game.