Ishan Kishan Approaches Major T20I Milestones Ahead of New Zealand Series

Ishan Kishan is poised to achieve remarkable milestones in T20I cricket as he approaches the 2,000 runs mark and aims to break existing records during the upcoming series against New Zealand. With impressive statistics this year, he stands on the brink of becoming the first Indian to score 2,000 T20 runs in a calendar year. As the series unfolds, cricket fans are eager to see if he can surpass Suryakumar Yadav's record and make history. Read on to learn more about his journey and the Indian squad for the series.

By Narendra Chaudhary Oct 21, 2026, 12:49 IST

Ishan Kishan on the Verge of T20I Milestones

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan is just 46 runs shy of becoming the seventh Indian to reach the 2,000 T20I runs milestone. He is also close to surpassing Suryakumar Yadav's record for the highest T20I runs by an Indian in a single calendar year.

The upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand kicks off on Thursday in Christchurch. Ishan, who has been in exceptional form batting at number three, has the opportunity to achieve further milestones in what has been a breakout year for him in T20Is.

A Record-Breaking Calendar Year

In his T20I career spanning 66 matches, Ishan has accumulated 1,954 runs across 66 innings, boasting an average of 31.51 and a strike rate of 148.81, which includes one century and 13 half-centuries. His highest score stands at 103.

This year alone, he has played 34 T20Is, scoring 1,158 runs at an average of 37.35 and a strike rate of 172.06, featuring one century and seven fifties. He is merely seven runs away from eclipsing Suryakumar's record of 1,164 runs set in 2022, the highest by an Indian in a calendar year.

Additionally, Ishan is 139 runs away from breaking the record held by Pakistan's Mohammed Rizwan, who scored 1,326 runs in 29 innings in 2021, for the most T20I runs in a calendar year by a player from a Test-playing nation.

In total, Ishan has scored 1,760 runs in 49 T20 matches this year, averaging 38.26 with a strike rate exceeding 175, including one century and 13 fifties. With five T20Is against New Zealand and a three-match series against Sri Lanka in December, he is just 240 runs away from becoming the first Indian to reach 2,000 T20 runs in a single calendar year, a feat previously achieved only by West Indies' Nicholas Pooran (2,331 runs in 76 matches) and Mohammed Rizwan (2,036 runs in 2021 and 2024).

India’s T20I Squad

The Indian T20I squad includes: Shreyas Iyer [C], Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson [WK], Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan [WK], Tilak Varma [VC], Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Kuldeep Yadav.