T20 World Cup 2026: India's Top 5 Highest Run-Getters in a Single Edition of Tournament

Over the years, the T20 World Cup has seen several Indian batters step up and carry the team’s batting on the biggest stage by finishing as India’s highest run-scorers in each edition of the tournament.

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Indian Run-Machines in a Single T20 World Cup

Team India will begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign when they take on the USA in the tournament opener at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The Men in Blue, led by Suryakumar Yadav, will enter the marquee event as the defending champions, having won the prestigious title in 2024 under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. 

India have been clubbed in Group A alongside theUSA, arch-rivals Pakistan, Namibia, and the Netherlands, with India expected to start as favourites in the group. Team India will play three matches on home soil, while they play Pakistan in Colombo. 

Over the past several editions of the marquee event, several Indian batters have delivered match-winning performances, consistently among the top run-getters and playing a crucial role in India's campaign at the T20 World Cup.

On that note, let's take a look top 5 highest run-getters for Team India in a single edition of the tournament.

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1. Virat Kohli (2014, 2016, and 2022)

Former India captain and star batter Virat Kohli was the Men in Blue's highest run-getter not once but three times in T20 World Cups, showcasing his consistency and dominance on the global stage. His best campaign came in 2014, where he amassed 319 runs, including 4 fifties, at an average of 106.33 in six matches. Kohli is the only Indian batter to date to score over 300 runs in a single edition of the tournament. 

The veteran Indian batter had his second-best campaign in 2022, where he aggregated 296 runs, including 4 fifties, at an average of 98.66 in six matches. Kohli fell just 4 runs short of becoming the first batter to score 300 or more runs in two different editions of the tournament. 

2016 was Kohli's third-highest run-scoring T20 World Cup campaign, where he scored 273 runs, including three fifties, in seven matches at an average of 136.5. Overall, Virat Kohli is the leading run-getter in the history of theT20 World Cup, amassing 1292 runs, including 15 fifties, at an average of 58.72 in 35 matches.

Virat Kohli retired from the T20Is after India's T20 World Cup triumph in 2024.

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2. Rohit Sharma (2024)

Former India captain Rohit Sharma was the Men in Blue's standout batter in their T20 World Cup-title winning campaign in 2024. 

Rohit played nine editions of the T20 World Cup and was part of the India squads since their first title win in 2007, but the veteran batter emerged as the team's highest run-getter in a single edition of the tournament for the first time. 

In 2024, Rohit Sharma amassed 257 runs, including three fifties, at an average of 36.71 in 8 matches, while also leading Team India to the second T20 World Cup win. Just like Virat Kohli, Rohit also retired from T20Is after the T20 World Cup 2024. 

Overall, Rohit Sharma is the second-leading run-getter in the history of the T20 World Cup, amassing 1220 runs, including 12 fifties, at an average of 34.85 in 47 matches.

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Gautam Gambhir (2007)

Former India opener and current head coach, Gautam Gambhir, was one of the instrumental players in Team India's success at the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007, defeating Pakistan in the final to lift the trophy under MS Dhoni's captaincy. 

Gambhir was the standout batter for the Men in Blue in the first edition of the marquee event, amassing 227 runs, including three fifties, at an average of 37.83 in seven matches. In the final, the former left-handed batter played a crucial knock of 75 off 54 balls, anchoring India’s innings and laying the foundation for their narrow five-run victory over Pakistan.

In the T20 World Cups, Gautam Gambhir amassed 524 runs, including 4 fifties, at an average of 26.20 in 21 matches.

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Suresh Raina (2010)

Another batter on the list is none other than Suresh Raina. The former left-handed batter featured in four editions of the T20 World Cup and had his best campaign in 2010, where he emerged as India's leading run-getter of the tournament. 

In the 2010 T20 World Cup, Raina amassed 219 runs, including a century and a fifty, at an average of 43.8 in five matches. In hisTT20 World Cup career, Suresh Raina has amassed 453 runs, including a century and a fifty, at an average of 25.16 in 26 matches. 

Suresh Raina was picked in the subsequent editions of the T20 World Cup as he was unable to repeat the consistency of his 2010 exploits in later tournaments.

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KL Rahul (2021)

Team India had avery disappointing T20 World Cup in 2021 compared to previous editions of the tournament, as the Men in Blue failed to go past the group stage of the tournament. Indian batters had a forgettable outing throughout the tournament, struggling for consistency and impact as the team suffered defeats against Pakistan and New Zealand, which eventually led to an early exit from the tournament. 

However, KL Rahul emerged as the highest run-getter for Team India in the 2021 T20 World Cup, amassing 194 runs, including three fifties, at an average of 48.5 in five matches. 

Overall, in the T20 World Cup, KL Rahul amassed 322 runs, including five fifties, at an average of 32.20 in 11 matches. Rahul featured in the 2022 edition of the tournament, but was not picked for the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cups as the selectors opted to move in a different direction while shaping India's T20I setup.