Even though Suryakumar Yadav failed to help India get the better of New Zealand in the first T20I of the three-match series that is currently underway in India these days, with his 34-ball, 47-run innings against the Black Caps at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Friday (January 27), he broke former Indian skipper MS Dhoni’s massive record in the shortest format of the game at his home ground, that too in front of him only. The 41-year-old Dhoni, who retired from international cricket in 2020 and lives in Ranchi, was present in the stands during the first T20I when the world’s No. 1 T20I batter, Suryakumar, broke his T20I run record.
Dhoni, who captained India to their only T20 World Cup title win to date in 2007, played a total of 98 matches in which, with the help of two fifties, he scored a total of 1617 runs. But with his 47-run innings in the first T20I, Surya, who was playing only his 46th T20I game after making his debut in March 2021 against England, surpassed his run tally to become the fifth-leading run scorer for Team India in the shortest format of the game at international level.
In 46 matches, the 32-year-old right-handed batter now has 1625 runs to his name, which came at an average of 46.42 and a strike rate of 178.76. He has scored three centuries and 13 fifties to date.
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Before surpassing Dhoni, Surya, who is arguably the best T20I batter at present, leapfrogged Suresh Raina, who finished his career with 1605 runs from 78 matches.
In the list of the highest run scorers for India in T20Is, former skipper Virat Kohli sits at the No. 1 position. He has 4008 runs in 115 matches. The 34-year-old is not only India’s but also the world’s leading T20I run scorer, and he is the only batter to have scored 4000+ runs. At No. 2 is Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who has 3853 runs from 148 matches. The star duo is followed by KL Rahul (2265 runs in 72 matches) and Shikhar Dhawan (1759 runs from 68 matches).
Leading run scorers for India in T20Is
| POSITION | PLAYER | MATCHES | RUNS | AVERAGE | STRIKE RATE | BEST SCORE | 100/50 |
| 1 | Virat Kohli | 115 | 4008 | 52.73 | 137.96 | 122* | 1/37 |
| 2 | Rohit Sharma | 148 | 3853 | 31.32 | 139.24 | 118 | 4/29 |
| 3 | KL Rahul | 72 | 2265 | 37.75 | 139.12 | 110* | 2/22 |
| 4 | Shikhar Dhawan | 68 | 1759 | 27.92 | 126.36 | 92 | 0/11 |
| 5 | Suryakumar Yadav | 46 | 1625 | 46.42 | 178.76 | 117 | 3/13 |
| 6 | MS Dhoni | 98 | 1617 | 37.60 | 126.13 | 56 | 0/2 |
| 7 | Suresh Raina | 78 | 1605 | 29.18 | 134.87 | 101 | 1/5 |
| 8 | Hardik Pandya | 85 | 1226 | 25.02 | 143.05 | 71* | 0/3 |
| 9 | Yuvraj Singh | 58 | 1177 | 28.02 | 136.38 | 77* | 0/8 |
| 10 | Shreyas Iyer | 49 | 1043 | 30.67 | 135.98 | 74* | 0/7 |
With two more matches to play in the ongoing series against New Zealand, if Surya maintains his ace form, then he can surpass Dhawan’s tally as well and become the team’s fourth-leading run scorer. He needs 135 runs to get past the left-handed opening batter.
