It is safe to say that India batter Suryakumar Yadav has built an unassailable lead for himself in the list of highest T20I run-scorers in 2022. A path-breaking year in the shortest format like no other Indian batter of the past, Yadav hasn’t just amassed runs but literally thumped opposition bowlers throughout the year in what is only his second year in international cricket.
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For the unversed, Yadav has scored 1,151 runs across 30 innings at an average and strike rate of 47.95 and 188.37 respectively. Only batter with more than 10 50+ scores in T20Is played this year, Yadav has scored two centuries and nine half-centuries on the back of hitting 105 fours and 67 sixes.
As far as boundaries are concerned, Yadav hitting a combined total of 172 fours and sixes see him scoring as many as 72 boundary shots more than Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan (second on the list with 100 T20I boundaries in 2022).
Rizwan (996), Virat Kohli (781), Babar Azam (735) and Sikandar Raza (735) follow Yadav in this list but neither of them will be able to catch him. Rizwan, perhaps the only one having it in him to close in on Yadav’s lead, won’t be able to do so because Pakistan aren’t scheduled to play another T20I in 2022.
India, on the other hand, have a minimum of one T20I to be played in Napier on Tuesday. Scheduled to host Sri Lanka for a white-ball series in December-January, India might add to their list of T20Is this year but the same will only be known once BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) release fixtures for the home season.
Most T20 runs in calendar year 2022
Number of runs scored by Yadav isn’t the startling highlight of the below mentioned table. If truth be told, his strike rate (in vicinity of 200), which is not for a match or two but across 30 innings, is the crowing point of 2022 for him.
| Batter | Matches | Runs | Highest | Average | SR | 100 | 50 |
| Suryakumar Yadav (IND) | 30 | 1151 | 117 | 47.95 | 188.37 | 2 | 9 |
| Mohammad Rizwan (PAK) | 25 | 996 | 88* | 45.27 | 122.96 | 0 | 10 |
| Virat Kohli (IND) | 20 | 781 | 122* | 55.78 | 138.23 | 1 | 8 |
| Babar Azam (PAK) | 26 | 735 | 110* | 31.95 | 123.32 | 1 | 5 |
| Sikandar Raza (ZIM) | 24 | 735 | 87 | 35 | 150.92 | 0 | 5 |
Highest T20 runs in a calendar year in international cricket
Rizwan, however, holds and might continue to hold the record of scoring most T20I runs in a calendar year. In what have been two consecutive fantastic years for the right-handed batter, Rizwan had surpassed Ireland batter Paul Stirling’s tally of 748 runs (in 2019) by scoring a grand total of 1,326 runs in 26 innings at an average and strike rate of 73.66 and 134.89 respectively including a century and 12 half-centuries in 2021.
175 runs short of Rizwan’s world record at this point in time, Yadav would really be eyeing the same especially if India-Sri Lanka T20I series is conducted in the last week of the year.
