In the first Twenty20 International of the five-match series at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, Team India opener Abhishek Sharma delivered a spectacular innings against New Zealand. He was named Player of the Match after scoring 84 off 35 balls to lead the Men in Blue to a 48-run victory over New Zealand.
New Zealand sent Team India into bat, and they scored an impressive 238-7 in 20 overs. Abhishek hit five fours and eight sixes in his knock before being removed by Ish Sodhi. In pursuit of a target of 239, New Zealand were restricted to 190-7.
During his sensational innings, Abhishek Sharma became the fastest batsman to reach 5,000 runs in terms of balls faced. The southpaw achieved the milestone in his 169th T20 outing. In this feature, we compare his T20 batting stats to those of Virat Kohli after they both played the same number of T20 games.
Who has the superior average and strike rate?
In 169 T20s, Abhishek has made 5,002 runs at an average of 33.34 and a strike rate of 172.48. Of his runs, 1,199 have been scored in 34 matches for India at an average of 37.46 and strike rate of 190.92. He’s also scored 1,754 runs in 74 games for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at a strike rate of 162.16, and 1,853 runs at a strike rate of 169.68 in 54 games for Punjab in domestic cricket.
Kohli, after 169 T20 games, had scored 4,734 runs at an average of 35.59 and a strike-rate of 128.57. He had 3,492 runs in 134 matches for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at an average of 33.25 and strike rate of 127.21. Kohli also scored 1,063 runs in 30 T20Is for India, averaging 46.21 at a strike rate of 132.70, along with 179 runs in five T20s for Delhi at a strike rate of 131.61.
Who has more 50-plus scores after 169 T20 matches?
Abhishek has 37 fifty-plus scores — eight centuries and 29 half-centuries. His top score of 148* came off just 52 balls for Punjab against Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in November 2025. He hit 135 off 54 for India against England at Wankhede in February 2025 and 141 off 55 for SRH against Punjab Kings in IPL 2025.
| Player | Runs | Average | SR | HS | 100s | 50s |
| Abhishek Sharma | 5,002 | 33.34 | 172.48 | 148 | 8 | 29 |
| Virat Kohli | 4,734 | 35.59 | 128.57 | 99 | 0 | 32 |
Kohli had 32 half-centuries after 169 T20s but no hundreds at that stage. His best included 99 off 58 balls for RCB against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2013, 78* off 61 vs Pakistan in Colombo during the 2012 T20 World Cup, and 76 off 45 for Delhi against J&K in the 2007 Inter State T20 tournament.
Who performs better in wins after 169 T20 matches?
Abhishek Sharma has featured in 101 wins. In those games, he has 3,801 runs at an average of 43.68 and strike rate of 183.97 with eight centuries and 23 fifties. In 60 losses, he has scored 1,069 runs at an average of 18.75 and a strike rate of 142.53, including five half-centuries.
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average | SR | HS | 100s | 50s |
| Abhishek Sharma | 101 | 3,801 | 43.86 | 183.97 | 148 | 8 | 23 |
| Virat Kohli | 87 | 2,632 | 46.17 | 135.74 | 99 | 0 | 18 |
Virat Kohli had been part of 87 wins after 169 T20s, scoring 2,632 runs at an average of 46.17 and a strike rate of 135.74 with 18 half-centuries. In 78 defeats, he managed 1,990 runs at an average of 27.26 and a strike rate of 120.97, hitting 13 fifties.
Who is better in T20 chases after 169 games?
In 84 chases, Abhishek has 2,320 runs at an average of 31.78 and strike rate of 169.71 with two hundreds and 16 fifties. Batting first, he’s scored 2,242 runs in 84 games at an average of 28.74 and strike rate of 166.69, with three centuries and 11 fifties.
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average | SR | HS | 100s | 50s |
| Abhishek Sharma | 84 | 2,320 | 31.78 | 169.71 | 141 | 2 | 16 |
| Virat Kohli | 93 | 2,482 | 39.39 | 130.42 | 93* | 0 | 15 |
In 93 T20s while chasing, Kohli had 2,482 runs at an average of 39.39 and a strike rate of 130.42, including 15 fifties. While batting first, he had 2,252 runs in 75 games at an average of 32.17 and a strike rate of 126.58, with 17 fifties.
