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T20 cricket is mostly known as a batter dominated game where the batter can express himself and try something new. As their are less number of ball compared to ODIs and Tests, the batter can also play freely which also improves his strike-rate.
We have seen so many great players in the format but their are some players who are way ahead from the rest, as they are in the list of Top Run-scorers in the format. In this article, we will mention the Top-5 run scorers in the history of T20I cricket.
5. Paul Robert Stirling (Ireland) ➖
The right-handed opening batsman from Ireland puts his name at number 5 on the list. The 32-year-old has appeared in 121 T20 games for the Green and Whites scoring 3181 in 120 innings averaging 28.64 with the with the strike rate of 134.78.
Paul also has a century in the format scoring 115 runs against Zimbabwe in 2021 and becoming the only second Irish batter after Kevin O’Brien to score T20I ton.
Paul has scored 551 runs in 26 T20I matches for Ireland in 2022 averaging 22.04 with the strike rate of 126. He is currently at number 25 in the ICC’s Men T20I batter rankings.
4. Babar Azam (Pakistan)) ➖
The number 4 on the list also holds the exact ranking in the ICC’s Men T20I batter. After making his debut in 2016, the Pakistani skipper has appeared in 99 matches for the Shaheens scoring 3355 runs in 94 innings at an average of 41.41 with the strike rate 127.80.
The 28-old-batter has two centuries in the format scoring 122 runs against the Proteas in 2021 and 110* against England in 2022.
Babar has recently won the ‘ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the year’ and the .Cricketer of the year’ 2022 and also led his team to the finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.
3. Martin Guptill (New Zealand) ➖
The right-handed batter from New Zealand has appeared in 122 in T20I after making his debut in 2009. Guptill holds the third-place on the list with 3531 runs at an strike rate of 135.70 averaging 31.81.
The 36-year-old has two centuries in the format with 101* against South Africa in 2012 and 105 against the Aussies in 2018.
The 23rd in the ICC’s T20I batter ranking Guptill hasn’t been seen playing for the Blackcaps since October 2022.
2. Rohit Sharma (India) ➖
The Indian skipper has the most T20I matches played all over the world. Since his debut in 2007, Rohit Sharma has appeared in 148 T20 matches for India scoring 3853 runs averaging 31.32 at the strike rate of 139.24.
The 35-year-old has also the most number of centuries (4) in the format with highest score of 118 against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Rohit holds the 23rd position in the ICC Men’s T20I batter ranking. Currently he is not the part of Indian T20 team as BCCI has decided to prepare the young players for the T20 World Cup in 2024, as the Men in Blue blown out in the semi-finals against England in the 2022 edition.
1. Virat Kohli (India) ➖
The star Indian batter has some impressive numbers in T20Is which made him gain the top spot in the list. Making his debut in 2010, Virat Kohli is the only batter in T20Is to cross 4000 runs till now. The 34-year-old has scored 4008 in 115 matches for the Men in Blue at an average of 52.73 with strike rate of 137.96. He also has a century in the format scoring 122* against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup.
Kohli has been awarded Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup twice in 2014 and 2016 scoring 314 and 278 runs respectively. He was also the highest run-getter in the 2022 edition of the tournament scoring 296 runs in six matches which included an iconic 82 not out in thrilling run-chase against Pakistan.
The India batter currently hold the 13th position in the ICC Men’s T20I batter ranking.
