Most runs in a calendar year by Indian batsmen
Virat Kohli travelled to Australia with the opportunity to break the record for most runs by any batsman in a calendar year but the Indian captain fell short of the all-time record held by Kumar Sangakkara and his own personal record set in 2017.
What’s amazing is the fact that Kohli amassed over 2700 runs in 2018 despite being rested for the Asia Cup and the Nidahas Twenty20 tri-series earlier this year.
The Indian captain’s tally for 2018 is not the all-time highest in the table for runs scored by an Indian batsman in a calendar year but it is still near the top end. It is also Kohli’s fourth entry into the Top 10 and amazingly, he’s the only active player in the top 10.
#10 Rahul Dravid - 2270 runs in 2002
At number 10 is Mr Dependable, Rahul Dravid, who scored 2270 runs in 2002.
Dravid scored the bulk of his runs in 2002 in Test matches. He scored 1357 runs in 26 innings with an average of 59. His highest score that year came against England in London when he scored 217 and he was only dismissed by a runout.
In total, Dravid scored his runs in 2002 in 50 innings with a combined average of 54.04.
#9 Virat Kohli - 2286 runs in 2014
Virat Kohli’s first entry in this list is at the number nine position for scoring 2286 runs in 2014. Back then, it was the most runs he scored in a calendar year surpassing his previous best of 2186 runs scored in 2012 by exactly 100 runs.
Kohli’s tally for the year was split appropriately between Test matches, ODIs and T20Is. He scored 847 runs in 20 Test match innings at an average of 44.57 with a highest of 169 which came against Australia at the MCG.
In ODIs, his record was outstanding as he racked up 1054 runs in 20 innings with an average of 58.55 and a strike rate 99.62! Kumar Sangakkara (1256) and Angelo Mathews (1244) had more ODI runs than Kohli in 2014 but both they played 28 and 31 innings respectively
Kohli was also the third highest run scorer in T20Is that year with 385 runs which were only 12 runs fewer than the tally of top scorer Alex Hales.