The true sign of a batter’s success lies in their consistency with the bat. After all, that’s what sets them apart from other batters and places them among the elites.
Such batters leave a larger impact on their team’s performances by accumulating runs match after match. A few batters have shown their batting mastery by amassing 2000+ international runs the most times, year after year.
So, here are the top 10 batters with the most 2000 runs in a calendar year in all formats.
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
7: Virat Kohli became the first batter to amass 2000-plus runs in international cricket in 7 different calendar years.
5: There are 4 Asian batters who have scored 2000+ runs in 5 or more calendar years. 2 batters hail from India, while the other 2 are from Sri Lanka, which indicates how good these two countries have produced batters over time.
4: The four years between 2016 and 2019 were the purple patch of Virat Kohli’s career. The Indian batting maestro is the only batter to score 2000+ international runs in 4 consecutive years. Moreover, he has scored 2500+ runs in 3 years, making him the only batter to cross that mark three times.
3: Before Kohli’s rampage, Sachin Tendulkar hammered 2000 runs in 3 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 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.
