Most runs in a calendar year by Indian batsmen

#4 Virat Kohli - 2595 runs in 2016

Kohli had a fantastic year in T20Is in 2016

We are entering Virat Kohli territory now and at fourth is his tally for 2016. This year is well remembered for his exploits in the shortest format of the game. Kohli scored 641 runs in T20Is in 2016 at an average of 106.83 and strike rate of 140.26.

Before India’s ongoing tour of Australia, his T20I tally for 2016 was the highest by any player in a calendar year in the shortest format of the game but Shikhar Dhawan broke that record against Australia and the record is now 689 runs. However, Dhawan played four innings more than Kohli.

Kohli also scored 1215 runs in Test matches that year with an average of 75.93 and a highest score of 235 runs against England. The Indian captain’s overall tally for 2016 is the tenth highest in international cricket.

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#3 Rahul Dravid - 2626 runs in 1999

Dravid scored six of his twelve ODI centuries in 1999

It was mentioned that after Sachin Tendulkar set the record for most runs by an Indian batsman in 1998, two players broke his record the following year. The first was Sourav Ganguly and the second player was Rahul Dravid.

When Dravid scored 2626 runs in 1999, it was not only the most by an Indian batsman in a calendar year but also by any batsman in a calendar year. His record for most runs by an Indian batsman remained intact until 2017 and the record for any batsman was only broken by Ricky Ponting in 2003. Currently, it is the eighth highest in the all-time list.

The Wall scored 1761 runs in ODIs that year which is the third highest in a calendar year in the format’s history behind Sachin’s tally of 1998 and Ganguly’s of 1999. Dravid’s highest ODI score of 153 was scored in 1999 against New Zealand at a run-a-ball pace. In fact, he scored six of his twelve ODI centuries in 1999.