Ishan Kishan continued his impressive run in 2026 during the fifth and final T20I between India and New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton. The left-handed batter achieved a significant milestone during his innings, moving past a mark previously held by Suryakumar Yadav. Kishan entered the contest needing just six runs to achieve the feat and wasted little time in getting there. He followed the landmark with an attacking half-century, forming an important partnership with captain Shreyas Iyer after India lost two early wickets.
Ishan Kishan goes past Suryakumar Yadav’s tally in T20Is
Kishan needed six runs at the start of his innings to move past Suryakumar’s tally of 1,164 runs, which he had accumulated in 2022. He reached the landmark during his innings, becoming the Indian batter with the most T20I runs in a single calendar year. The left-hander made full use of the opportunity and went on to score a brilliant 61 off just 32 deliveries. His knock included five boundaries and five sixes, as he maintained an aggressive approach despite India’s early setbacks.
India had lost both Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson inside the first four overs after New Zealand opted to bowl first. Kishan then joined captain Iyer in the middle, and the pair launched a strong counterattack to bring the hosts back into the contest. Their partnership took India to 111/2 after 10 overs, with Kishan reaching his half-century off just 28 balls. However, Blair Tickner eventually dismissed the left-hander in the 11th over, with Nathan Smith completing the catch at deep mid-wicket.
Kishan adds another major achievement to his remarkable 2026 campaign
Kishan’s achievement against New Zealand adds to an already outstanding year across T20 cricket. Earlier in October 2026, he surpassed Virat Kohli’s record for the most overall T20 runs scored by an Indian batter in a single calendar year. Kohli had scored 1,614 runs across 29 innings in 2016, combining his performances in the IPL and international cricket.
Kishan went past that tally after crossing 1,644 runs across professional T20 competitions in 2026, underlining his consistency throughout the year. Abhishek has also enjoyed a prolific run in the shortest format and occupies third place on India’s all-time calendar-year T20I run list, with 1,153 runs in 2026. The performances of both batters highlight India’s impressive batting depth in the format.
