Most T20I centuries for India: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav lead the pack

The Indian cricket team, who won the inaugural men’s T20 World Cup in 2007, boasts some fantastic players in the shortest format. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and Suryakumar Yadav have taken the T20l stage by storm with their exceptional batting performances over the years.

Suresh Raina was the first centurion in T20Is for India. He achieved the feat in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2010. Ever since, six more players have reached the three-figure milestone in this format.

Rohit Sharma holds the record for the most T20I centuries for India with five centuries while Suryakumar Yadav features second on the list with four centuries. 

Virat Kohli, the top run-scorer in T20 Internationals, also features in the list. Gill’s unbeaten 126 against New Zealand in February 2023 is India’s highest individual score.

Let us look at the cricketers with the most T20 International tons for India.

Most T20I centuries for India

Rohit Sharma - 5 T20I centuries

Rohit Sharma was only the second Indian cricketer to register a T20I hundred, during South Africa’s tour of India in 2015. The opener smashed 106 runs off 66 balls to set up India’s win.

He smashed a 43-ball 118 against Sri Lanka in 2017, creating the record for the fastest T20I ton by an Indian batter. Rohit took the Sri Lankan bowlers to the cleaners and powered India to 260/5.

The Hitman’s third and fourth centuries in the format came in 2018. While his unbeaten 111 helped India beat West Indies, the 100 off 56 balls against England in Bristol helped successfully chase 199.

Suryakumar Yadav - 4 T20I centuries

Since his T20I debut against England in 2021, Suryakumar Yadav has taken the world stage by storm. He finished 2022 as the top run-scorer in the format and hit the most sixes by any batter in a calendar year in T20Is.

Meanwhile, two of SKY’s four T20I tons also came in 2022. He played a whirlwind knock of 117 runs from 55 balls against England in Nottingham to become the fifth Indian men’s cricketer to score a hundred in this format. Suryakumar notched another century, a 51-ball 111 against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui in November.

His second-last century in T20 Internationals was against Sri Lanka in January 2023 at Rajkot. Coming in to bat in a series decider, Suryakumar Yadav tonked the Lankan bowlers around the ground with his 360-degree stroke-making, scoring 112 runs off just 51 balls.

He got his fourth T20I century against South Africa in the third T20I of a three-match series against the Proteas in December. His 56-ball 100 helped India set up a 202-run target for the South Africans to chase.

Sanju Samson - 3 T20I centuries

Sanju Samson is next on the list with three T20I centuries for India from 33 innings. He scored his first T20I century against Bangladesh in the final T20I of a three-match series in Hyderabad in October 2024.

Samson’s 40-ball hundred was the second-fastest T20I hundred by an Indian batter behind Rohit Sharma. He smashed eight sixes and 11 fours in his 47-ball 111 to power India to 297/6, their highest aggregate in T20Is. The hosts thrashed Bangladesh by 133 runs in the contest.

Samson recorded his second T20I ton when he smashed a 50-ball 107 against South Africa in the first game of a four-match series in Durban on November 8th, 2024. 

Batting first, Samson hit 10 sixes, the joint-most by an Indian batter in a T20I innings, and seven fours to power India to 202/8 as India won the contest by 61 runs. 

Samson latter recorded his third T20I for India after hammered an unbeaten 109 off just 56 balls in the fourth and final T20I against South Africa at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg in November 2024. His magnificent knock was laced with six fours and nine sixes.

Photo credits: Alamy