NEW DELHI: Ishan Kishan continued his remarkable run in T20I cricket, rewriting the Indian record books with an impressive half-century in the fifth and final match against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday.
The left-handed batter surpassed Suryakumar Yadav's record for most runs by an Indian in a calendar year in T20Is, while also completing 2,000 runs in the format. Kishan brought up the landmark with an aggressive 61 off just 32 balls, featuring five sixes and as many fours.
He now has 1,220 runs in 37 matches and innings in 2026, surpassing Suryakumar's previous record of 1,164 runs, which he had accumulated in 2022. Kishan has been in outstanding form throughout the year, averaging 35.88 at a strike rate of 171.58. His tally includes a century and eight half-centuries, underlining his consistency and attacking approach in the shortest format.
The 28-year-old also became the seventh Indian to cross 2,000 runs in T20Is, reaching the milestone in his 69th innings. He is the third-fastest Indian to achieve the feat in terms of balls faced, having taken just 1,345 deliveries to get there. Only Abhishek Sharma (1,024 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (1,164 balls) have reached 2,000 T20I runs quicker in terms of deliveries among Indian batters.
Suryakumar had set the benchmark in 2022 with 1,164 runs in 31 matches at an average of 46.56 and a strike rate of 187.43. Kishan went past that mark with his latest innings, taking his 2026 tally to 1,220 runs. His prolific year has also been fuelled by his contribution to India's title-winning campaign at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, where he scored 317 runs. The wicketkeeper-batter has carried that form into the bilateral assignments, establishing himself as one of India's most productive performers in the format.
Kishan's 2,000-run milestone also puts him in an elite group of Indian T20I batters. He has scored 2,016 runs in 69 matches, with 206 fours and 96 sixes. In terms of innings taken to reach 2,000 runs, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar lead the Indian list, having achieved the feat in 56 innings each. KL Rahul reached the landmark in 58 innings, while Abhishek Sharma took 64. Kishan completed it in his 69th innings to occupy fifth place on that list.
Kishan's record-breaking knock came at a crucial stage after India suffered an early collapse. Asked to bat first after New Zealand won the toss, the visitors struck early, with Adam Milne dismissing Abhishek Sharma in the second over. Kishan, coming in at number three, responded with an attacking approach and joined Shreyas Iyer in rebuilding the innings.
The pair added 107 runs for the third wicket in little more than seven overs, giving India the momentum after the early setbacks. Kishan initially took time to settle before shifting gears, while Iyer was aggressive from the outset. The India batter struck four sixes and three fours during his 50 off 23 deliveries, registering another valuable contribution in the middle order.
Kishan brought up his half-century off 28 balls with a six off Michael Bracewell. Iyer soon followed, reaching his fifty in 22 deliveries. New Zealand, however, fought back by removing both set batters in quick succession. Blair Tickner dismissed Kishan, who was caught at deep mid-wicket, before Iyer fell to Adam Milne.
Naman Dhir added 33 off 23 balls, while Nitish Kumar Reddy contributed 22 off 17 deliveries as India finished with 191/8. India had already secured an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series heading into the final encounter.
India's leading T20I run-scorers: Rohit Sharma tops the overall charts with 4,231 runs, followed by Virat Kohli (4,188) and Suryakumar Yadav (3,272). Among active Indian batters, Suryakumar remains ahead, with Hardik Pandya (2,288), Abhishek Sharma (2,268) and KL Rahul (2,265) also having crossed the 2,000-run mark.
