Players to score most T20I centuries in a calendar year: Sanju Samson leads the list with three hundreds

In T20 cricket the main emphasis is on scoring runs quickly rather than individual batters getting high scores. As a result, batters try to maximise their hitting prowess, even though their stay at the crease might be short. 

In this way, teams can put huge totals on board as a collective effort of all the batters. The chances of more batters playing cameos compared to individual batters making high scores are higher.

And even if batters come up with big scores, it is really difficult to maintain consistency while making the runs at a beneficial scoring rate for the team. Hence it is challenging to see batters scoring hundreds in T20s. 

And if they are backing it up with more than one in a short span, then the achievement becomes commendable and praiseworthy.

In this article, we go through the list of players who have scored the most T20I centuries in a calendar year. A total of 10 players have scored at least two T20I centuries in a calendar year with Sanju Samson leading the list with three hundreds in 2024.

Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma are the other Indians with two hundreds in a calendar year. Get the list of players to score the most T20I centuries in a calendar year.

Players to score most T20I centuries in a calendar year: Get complete list

Sanju Samson | 3 hundreds

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson leads the list of batters with the most hundreds in T20Is in a calendar year with three centuries in 2024.

Samson started his scoring spree with a 40-ball century against Bangladesh in the final T20I of a three-match series against Bangladesh in Hyderabad. He smashed 11 fours and eight sixes in his 47-ball 111 which powered India to their highest total in T20Is and also to a 133-run win.

Samson backed it up with another century against South Africa in his next game in Durban to become the first Indian batter to score consecutive hundreds in T20Is. He hit 10 sixes and seven fours in his 50-ball 107 to help the visitors win by 61 runs.

Samson created history in Johannesburg by becoming the only batter to score three centuries in T20Is in a calendar year. He remained unbeaten on 109 from 56 balls in the final T20I against the Proteas hitting nine sixes and six fours to help India win the match by a massive 135 runs. 

Tilak Varma | 2 hundreds

Tilak Varma became the second Indian batter after Samson to record consecutive T20I centuries during a four-match series against South Africa in 2024.

Batting at number three, Tilak smashed an unbeaten 107 off 56 balls including seven sixes and eight fours in the third T20I against the Proteas in Centurion. His knock helped India past the 200-run mark and set up a thrilling 11-run win over the home side.

In his very next match, Tilak once again notched an unbeaten 120, this time off just 47 balls, smashing 10 sixes and nine fours. His unbroken 210-run association for the second wicket with fellow centurion Samson helped India post a gargantuan 283/1  and the visitors pocketed the four-match series 3-1 with a 135-run win.

Suryakumar Yadav | 2 Hundreds

Suryakumar Yadav owns the rare feat of notching up more than one hundred in a calendar year on multiple occasions. He first achieved it in 2022 before going on to repeat the feat the next year, in 2023.

Both of Suryakumar’s hundreds in 2022 came outside India, the first against England in Nottingham and the next against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui. He capped a dream year in T20Is amassing 1164 runs from 31 innings at an impressive average of 46.56 and a strike rate of 187.43.

In the next year, Suryakumar scored hundreds against Sri Lanka and South Africa showing remarkable consistency to accumulate 733 runs at an average of 48.86 and hitting at 155.95. 

Photo credit: Imago