Suryakumar Yadav Joins Elite List As 3rd Fastest Batter Worldwide After Babar Azam & Virat Kohli

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav delivered an impressive performance, scoring 75 runs from 35 balls in the third T20I against Bangladesh at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday (October 12). The 34-year-old right-hander came in at No. 3 following Abhishek Sharma’s early dismissal and smashed eight fours and five sixes during his stay. He shared a massive 173-run second-wicket stand with Sanju Samson (111), helping India post a formidable total of 297/6 in their 20 overs.

In the process of his 75-run knock, Suryakumar surpassed the 2500-run milestone in T20Is, making him the third fastest player in the world to do so, after Pakistan’s Babar Azam and India’s Virat Kohli. Babar reached the 2500-run mark in his 67th match, while Kohli needed 73 matches. Saturday’s game marked Suryakumar’s 74th T20I.

Fastest to 2500 runs in T20Is:

– Babar Azam (Pakistan) – 67 matches

– Virat Kohli (India) – 73 matches

– Suryakumar Yadav (India) – 74 matches

– Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan) – 76 matches

– Aaron Finch (Australia) – 78 matches

Rohit Sharma is the only other Indian to surpass 2500 T20I runs, achieving the milestone in his 100th match.

In addition, Suryakumar has now moved into a tie for third place on the list of batters with the most sixes in T20Is, with 144 sixes in 74 matches. West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran also holds 144 sixes in T20Is.

Most sixes in T20Is:

– Rohit Sharma (India) – 205 sixes

– Martin Guptill (New Zealand) – 173 sixes

– Suryakumar Yadav (India) – 144 sixes

– Nicholas Pooran (West Indies) – 144 sixes

– Jos Buttler (England) – 137 sixes

The victory over Bangladesh also saw Suryakumar become India’s fourth most successful T20I captain, surpassing Hardik Pandya’s 10 wins from 16 matches. Suryakumar has now led India to 11 wins out of 13 matches.

Most wins as Indian captain in T20Is:

– Rohit Sharma – 49 wins

– MS Dhoni – 42 wins

– Virat Kohli – 32 wins

– Suryakumar Yadav – 11 wins

– Hardik Pandya – 10 wins

Under Suryakumar’s leadership, India has secured victories in four matches against Australia (Nov-Dec 2023), one against South Africa, and three each against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Notably, India won the third T20I against Sri Lanka in July 2024 in a super over after the match ended in a tie.