Shubman Gill overtakes Virat Kohli for highest individual T20I score for India

The record for the highest individual T20I score for India belongs to Shubman Gill, following his unbeaten 126 against New Zealand in February 2023.

Gill smashed 12 fours and seven sixes, while striking at 200.00, during his 63-ball innings against the Kiwis at Ahmedabad. It was his first 50-plus score in T20 internationals. The ton also made him the fifth Indian cricketer to slam a century in all three formats of the game.

Virat Kohli, the second Indian cricketer to play 100 or more T20I matches, was on song against the Afghans as he slammed his maiden T20I century in 53 balls and ended his innings at 122 runs off 61 deliveries.

The knock ended Virat Kohli’s three-year drought of scoring a hundred in international cricket. Prior to his T20I century, Kohli’s last hundred across all formats of international cricket came in November 2019 (136, India vs Bangladesh Test match at Eden Gardens).

Kohli’s blitzkrieg innings saw India post a match-winning total of 212/2 against Afghanistan as the Men in Blue registered a 101-run win.

Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 122 saw him go past Rohit Sharma’s 118 against Sri Lanka at Indore in 2017. Rohit, the player to play the most T20I games and with the most T20I centuries, reached his highest T20I score in 43 balls after notching his hundred in 35 balls - the joint-fastest in T20I history.

Rohit held India's highest individual T20I score for five years between 2017 and 2022 until Virat Kohli broke the record on September 8, 2022.

Suryakumar Yadav’s 55-ball 117 against England in Nottingham in 2022 is India's third-highest individual T20I score. His effort meant the Indian top-order batter became the fifth Indian batter in history to notch a T20I century. The Mumbai batter also smashed an unbeaten 112 against Sri Lanka in the T20I series decider against Sri Lanka at Rajkot.

Rohit Sharma’s 111 not out against West Indies at Lucknow in 2018, and KL Rahul’s unbeaten 110 against the Windies at Lauderhill in 2016 complete the top five list for the highest individual T20I score for India.

Opening the batting alongside Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit slammed a 61-ball unbeaten 111 against the West Indies. It ended up being a record fourth century for him in the shortest format of cricket. His knock inspired India to a 71-run win in the fixture.

Highest individual T20I score for India

Featured photo: AFP / SURJEET YADAV