Suryakumar Yadav becomes second India cricketer to post 1500-plus T20 runs in a calendar year

For scoring 124 runs in T20Is against New Zealand, the top-order batter was awarded the player of the series as Team India won the series 1-0 after the third and final match of the series ended in a tie (via DLS method) due to rain.

The right-handed batter – who has been a class apart from the rest in the shortest format in 2022 – finished the calendar year with 1164 runs in 31 matches. The swashbuckler scored these runs at an incredible strike rate of 187.43 and averaged a whopping 46.56.

The flamboyant batter slammed 11 fifty-plus totals this year, including two centuries. His maiden T20I century came against England in Nottingham and slammed his second ton against New Zealand in Tauranga. He smashed 68 sixes and 104 fours this year. The 33-year-old batter put the cricketing world in awe with his audacious strokeplay in the T20Is.

The right-handed batter from Mumbai continued to raise the bar with his consistent batting performances match after match. In the just concluded T20 World Cup 2022, the talented batter made the heads turn with his imperious knocks and outrageous shot selection apart from being the third-highest run-scorer.

Yadav – who has been the prolific run-getter in this format – has certainly left his mark with his effort. With his century against New Zealand, SKY joined compatriot KL Rahul to slam two overseas T20I centuries, a feat no other Indian batter has ever accomplished.

He finished the year 2022 as the highest run scorer in the T20Is. The Mumbai Indians’ batter also became the second Indian after Virat Kohli to post more than 1500 runs in T20s in a calendar year.

Kohli owns the record of scoring the most runs in a year in T20s (both T20 & T20Is combined). Kohli in the year 2016, scored 1614 runs in 31 T20 matches. The right-handed batter scored 973 runs in 16 games playing for his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2016. The Delhi cricketer also scored 641 runs in the T20Is that year in 15 matches.

Suryakumar – who played just 8 games in IPL 2022 – has ended up scoring 1503 runs in 41 T20 matches in 2022. He scored 303 runs in 8 IPL games this year, with 68* being his highest.