T20 World Cup 2024: India's Highest Run-Getters in the History of the Tournament

India’s Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli during a 2022 T20 World Cup (Photo: AP)

With the T20 World Cup 2024 just around the corner, the Indian selection will be announcing the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup in a day or two’s time. India has failed to clinch the title since their win in the T20 World Cup’s inaugural season of 2007. They featured in the final in 2014 but lost to Sri Lanka in Bangladesh.

Over the years, Indian batters have ruled the roost in various editions of the tournament Here’s a look back at the top run-getters for India in the T20 World Cup history, featuring some surprising and some not-so-surprising names.

1. Virat Kohli: The former Indian skipper tops the list of the highest run-getters in T20 World Cup history. He has amassed 1141 runs in 27 matches, with a strike rate of 131.30 and an average of 81.50, during the span of 2012-2022.

The batting maestro has been India’s top run-scorer in three editions of the T20 World Cups- in 2014, 2016 and 2022. He has 14 half-centuries to his name but has still not been able to add a T20 World Cup century to his successful T20I stats. His highest T20 World Cup score of 89* came against West Indies in the second semi-final in 2016, but proved in vain as India ended on the losing side.

1. Rohit Sharma: Rohit, who has led Team India in all formats of cricket since February 2022, is the second-highest run-scorer for India in the T20 World Cup history. He features at no. 4 in the all-time list, with 963 runs in 39 matches, a strike rate of 127.88, and an average of 34.39, during the span of 2012-2022.

Rohit has hammered 35 sixes in 39 T20 World Cup matches, which is the most by an Indian player. He has scored nine T20 World Cup fifties but is yet to reach the three-figure mark. The most he scored in an innings is an unbeaten 79 off just 46 balls against Australia in Bridgetown in 2010.

1. Yuvraj Singh: The veteran Indian middle-order batter has 593 runs to his name in 31 T20 World Cup matches. He also boasts a strike rate of 128.91 with an average of 23.72, from 2007 to 2016.

His notable achievement is his contribution to India’s 2007 World T20 victory, where he famously hit six sixes in an over off England strike bowler Stuart Broad.

1. MS Dhoni: In his 33 ICC T20 World Cup matches, MSD has scored 529 runs. He holds the record for most (32) dismissals by a wicket-keeper in the T20 World Cup history, with 21 catches and 11 stumpings, during the span of 2007-2016.

The World Cup-winning captain also holds the record for the most T20 World Cup match wins as a captain. Captain Cool led the Indian side in six T20 World Cups, where impressively India secured wins in 22 out of 33 matches.

1. Gautam Gambhir: The current Kolkata Knight Riders mentor has amassed 524 runs in 21 T20 World Cup matches, with a strike rate of 118.01 and an average of 26.20, during the span of 2007-2012.

He has four half-centuries to his name and has scored a title-winning 75 runs against arch-rivals Pakistan in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup.

1. Suresh Raina: The explosive Indian middle-order has 453 runs to his name in 26 T20 World Cup matches. He is the only Indian player to have scored a century in an ICC T20 World Cup match.

His 101 runs off 60 balls in 2010 against South Africa is the highest individual score by an Indian batter in the T20 World Cup. He also boasts a strike rate of 130.17 with an average of 25.16, from 2009 to 2016.

1. KL Rahul: He was part of India’s two consecutive ICC T20 World Cup squads in 2021 and 2022. Deputy to Kohli in 2021 and to Rohit Sharma in 2022, the wicket-keeper batter amassed 322 runs in 11 T20 World Cup matches.

He has five half-centuries to his name, with his highest score being 69 runs off 48 balls faced, in a 2021 match against Afghanistan.

1. Suryakumar Yadav: The ICC Men’s T20I cricketer of the year 2023 does not have any impressive record in the T20 World Cups of 2021 and 2022 that he was part of.

However, even though he made it to the playing XI in just 10 T20 World Cup matches, he is the eighth-most run-scorer for India in the tally, with 281 runs.

1. Hardik Pandya: He has amassed 213 runs in 16 ICC T20 World Cup matches, with a strike rate of 136.53. The all-rounder has just one half-century to his name.

In his debut T20 World Cup of 2016, he caught attention with his last over bowling in a match against Bangladesh, defending two runs off three balls to help India secure a one-run win.

1. Virender Sehwag: The belligerent Indian opener played in just 9 ICC T20 World Cup matches from 2007 to 2012 and went on to score 187 runs with a strike rate of 129.86.