The true hallmark of a batter’s success is their consistency. It’s what sets the great ones apart and places them among the game’s elites. A select group of batters have demonstrated this mastery by amassing over 2000 international runs in a calendar year on multiple occasions.
Here are the players who have achieved this remarkable feat three or more times in cricket history.
Most 2000 Runs in a Calendar Year (All Formats Combined)
| Player | Most Times 2000 Runs | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli (IND) | 7 | 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023 |
| Kumar Sangakkara (SL) | 6 | 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 5 | 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2007 |
| Mahela Jayawardene (SL) | 5 | 2001, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2014 |
| Sourav Ganguly (IND) | 4 | 1997, 1999, 2002, 2007 |
| Matthew Hayden (AUS) | 4 | 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 4 | 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009 |
| Jacques Kallis (SA) | 4 | 2000, 2004, 2007, 2010 |
| Rahul Dravid (IND) | 3 | 1999, 2002, 2006 |
| Mohammad Yousuf (PAK) | 3 | 2000, 2002, 2006 |
Key Insights – Cricketers with Most 2000-Runs Years
7: Virat Kohli became the first batter to amass 2000-plus runs in international cricket in seven different calendar years.
5: There are four Asian batters who have scored 2000+ runs in five or more calendar years. Two batters hail from India, while the other two are from Sri Lanka, which indicates the high quality of batters these two countries have produced over time.
4: The four years between 2016 and 2019 were the purple patch of Kohli’s career. The Indian batting maestro is the only batter to score 2000+ international runs in four consecutive years. Moreover, he has scored 2500+ runs in three years, making him the only batter to cross that mark three times.
3: Before Kohli’s rampage, Sachin Tendulkar hammered 2000 runs in three consecutive calendar years (1996, 1997, and 1998) and became the first batter to do so. One year that shines prominently among them is 1998, when he scored 1894 runs, the most ODI runs in a single year by any batter.
2833: Australia’s former skipper, Ricky Ponting, holds the captain’s record for amassing the most runs in a calendar year in all formats of the game. In 2005, Ponting scored a whopping 2833 runs in 58 innings at an impressive average of 56.66. The overall record of most runs in a calendar year across formats belongs to Kumar Sangakkara. Read about it here.
