Follow UsThere aren’t too many in-form openers who can compete with Abhishek Sharma right now. The Indian opener continued his stellar 2025, with a 16-ball 25 against Australia in the third T20I, on November 2 (Sunday).
In doing so, the left-hander became the first Indian opener in T20I history to amass 700 runs in a calendar year, surpassing Dhawan's tally of 689 (2018) and Rohit's tally of 649 (2022). It has been that kind of year for the 25-year-old, who has gone from being an aggressive batter to becoming a vital component of the Indian side in the shortest format.
The left-hander did have a bit of a lean patch against South Africa at the end of 2024, but turned around his fortunes in 2025 like a flick of a switch. Abhishek had quite a series against England, when he hit a 54-ball 135 before an eventful Asia Cup, where he was the best batter.
During that tournament in the Middle East, the left-hander tallied 314 runs at a strike rate of 200.00, the best-ever for any batter in a T20 edition of the Asia Cup. While he didn’t get off to the best start in the ongoing tour against Australia (19 off 14), he swiftly turned that around with a 37-ball 68 in the second encounter.
In the third contest, he could only score 25 off 16 but ensured that he crossed the 700-run tally.
Most runs for an Indian opener in a calendar year in T20Is
705 - Abhishek Sharma, 2025 (15 inns)*
689 - Shikhar Dhawan, 2018 (17 inns)
649 - Rohit Sharma, 2022 (28 inns)
590 - Rohit Sharma, 2018 (17 inns)