Abhishek Sharma nears Kohli's nine-year T20 run record

Dharamshala: Indian opener Abhishek Sharma stands just 87 runs away from breaking Virat Kohli's record for the most T20 runs by an Indian in a calendar year, as India prepares to face South Africa in the third T20I in Dharamsala on Sunday. With three matches remaining in the five-match series, the 25-year-old has a realistic chance to surpass the milestone Kohli set in 2016.

Sharma has amassed 1,533 runs in 39 T20 matches this year at an average of 41.43, with three centuries and nine fifties. Kohli's benchmark of 1,614 runs, achieved in 31 matches at an average of 89.66, has stood untouched for nine years. The 2016 record came during a year when Kohli scored 273 runs in the T20 World Cup and was named Player of the Tournament.

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Power-Hitting Milestones

Beyond the run record, Sharma has rewritten the power-hitting playbook in 2025. He became the first Indian to smash over 100 sixes in a calendar year in T20 cricket, reaching 101 maximums in 37 matches. In the second T20I against South Africa at Mullanpur on December 11, his second six marked his 50th T20I six of 2025, making him only the second Indian, after Suryakumar Yadav, to reach that mark in a calendar year.

The left-handed opener's explosive style has been evident throughout 2025, including a career-best 135 off 54 balls against England in February and a maiden IPL century of 141 runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad. His strike rate of 188.80 in T20Is is the highest among Full-Member nation players with 50-plus sixes.

Series Tensions Mount

The India-South Africa series stands level at 1-1, with India winning the opener in Cuttack by 101 runs before South Africa rebounded with a 51-run victory in Mullanpur. The series comes at a crucial time, just two months before India defends its T20 World Cup title on home soil in February.

Sharma's performances have provided a bright spot amid concerns over the form of captain Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill. Suryakumar has scored just 201 runs in 19 T20I appearances this year at an average of 14.35, while Gill has managed only 263 runs in 14 matches without a fifty. The third T20I at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium begins at 7:00 PM local time.