India's top 5 run-getters in T20Is against England ft. Virat Kohli

India take on England in the first of five T20Is to be played between the two teams at the hallowed Eden Gardens in Calcutta on Wednesday, January 22. This will be followed by a three-match ODI series, which will act as the precursor to the ICC Champions Trophy, slated to be held in the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan in February this year.

The T20I series against England, despite holding no immediate importance, will be crucial for India to test their bench strength and start the process of creating a core for the next World Cup of this format, to be held in 2026. Led by skipper Suryakumar Yadav, this series will also see the return of seamer Mohammed Shami to international cricket for the first time since 2023.

Quite naturally, India will have to bat well if they are to drive home the advantage against the visiting Englishmen in this series. Their batters have to be in top gear from ball one in order to dominate the proceedings against their opponents.

On that note, in this listicle, we take a look at India's top five run-getters in T20Is against England:

#5 MS Dhoni (296 runs)

Former India captain, the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni, comes fifth on this list with the 296 runs he piled on against England in his career, which he called time on in 2019 from the international stage. Dhoni played 12 innings against England and scored his runs at a rate of 133.93 as well as an average of 49.33.

Dhoni's highest score of 56 came in the third and final T20I of the series played between the two teams in Bengaluru in 2017. India batted first and put up a respectable total of 202-6 on the board and returned to bowl the visitors out for a lowly 127 in 16.3 overs, with Yuzvendra Chahal picking up 6-25.

#4 Hardik Pandya (302 runs)

All-rounder Hardik Pandya, known for his gigantic hits out of the ground, comes fourth on this list after having amassed 302 runs against England in his career. He has been picked in the Indian team for the upcoming series as well, and will be keen on making a lasting impression upon his opponents as well as the selectors.

Pandya, who bats lower down the order, averages 30 against England as opposed to the 27 he does in his overall T20I career. In the 13 innings that he has played against England, Pandya has a highly impressive strike rate of 152.52, including a couple of half-centuries. The Baroda star has also hit 18 sixes against England.

#3 Suryakumar Yadav (321 runs)

Suryakumar Yadav, captain of India during the Wonder Cement International Series, 1st T20 match between South Africa and India at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium on November 08, 2024 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav earns his place in the third spot of this list thanks to the 321 runs he has scored against England in his career. Yadav has batted in just seven innings against the Three Lions and scored his runs at a strike rate of 179.32 and an average of 45.85.

The reader will be interested to note that the Mumbai batter has scored one century and one half-century against England, and will be keen on extending his good vein of form against them in the upcoming series. The 360-degree batter has meanwhile piled up 2,570 runs in his T20I career at a strike rate of 167.86.

#2 Rohit Sharma (467 runs)

Former India T20I captain, and current Test and ODI skipper Rohit Sharma comes second on this list owing to the 467 runs he piled up against England in his career. Sharma batted in 15 innings against the Englishmen and scored his runs at a strike rate of 139 and an average of 35.92

Sharma scored a ton and three half-centuries against England, with his highest score of an even 100 not out coming in Bristol in 2018. Set a target of 199 to chase, India made short work of the total and drove home inside just 18.4 overs, with Sharma leading the way, and Virat Kohli (43) playing the supporting role.

#1 Virat Kohli (648 runs)

Who else but Virat Kohli could top these charts? The iconic batter piled up 648 runs in the 21 innings he played against the Three Lions from 2011 to 2024 at a strike rate of 135 and an average of 38.11. Kohli also emerged not out in four out of those 21 innings, and this gave a massive boost to his average.

The Delhi batter's highest score was of 80 not out against England, and this came in the fifth and final T20I of the series played between the two teams in March 2020. Played in Ahmedabad, Kohli opened the innings and remained unbeaten on 80 as India set up a mammoth total of 224-2 in 20 overs.

In response, India's bowlers, led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4-0-15-2) made a mockery of the English batters and restricted the latter to 188-8 in their quota of 20 overs. Kohli ended the series with a whopping 231 runs to his name and earned the title of Player of the Series, while Bhuvneshwar was proclaimed Player of the Match.