Most Runs in an Over by Indian Batters in T20Is: Over Carnage

A single over can completely change a T20 International. Six deliveries may turn a steady innings into a massive total, reduce a difficult required rate, or destroy a bowler’s confidence. Indian cricket has produced several memorable examples, from Yuvraj Singh’s historic six sixes in Durban to Sanju Samson’s five-six assault and Rohit Sharma’s brutal attack on Mitchell Starc.

Yuvraj still owns India’s most iconic T20I over. He scored 36 runs from Stuart Broad’s six legal deliveries against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup, hitting every ball for six. More than 16 years later, India again collected 36 runs from an over when Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh attacked Afghanistan’s Karim Janat in Bengaluru.

This list follows the standard cricket record convention of counting the total runs produced in the over, including extras where applicable. When two Indian batters contributed to the same over, both names are shown. That distinction matters because, for example, Rohit’s assault on Mitchell Starc produced 29 runs in the over, although one of those runs came from a wide.

Most Runs in an Over by Indian Batters in T20Is

These overs came in very different situations. Some arrived during the powerplay, others in the middle overs, while Yuvraj and the Rohit-Rinku partnership produced their destruction at the death. What they share is the ability to change a match within minutes.

Top Five Biggest Overs by Indian Batters in T20Is

1. Yuvraj Singh – 36 Runs off Stuart Broad vs England, 2007

No discussion about Indian T20 batting can begin anywhere else.

Yuvraj Singh smashed Stuart Broad for six sixes in the 19th over of India’s innings against England at Durban during the inaugural T20 World Cup. Six legal balls produced six consecutive sixes and exactly 36 runs.

India were already well placed at 171/3 after 18 overs, but Yuvraj transformed a strong total into a huge one.

The sequence became instant cricket history. Broad tried different lengths and even changed his angle, but nothing worked. Yuvraj hit over midwicket, backward square leg, extra cover, backward point and straight areas as the crowd watched one of T20 cricket’s earliest great exhibitions of power hitting.

The final six also completed Yuvraj’s fifty from only 12 balls. It was then the fastest half-century in T20I cricket.

He eventually finished with 58 from 16 balls. India reached 218/4 and won by 18 runs after England replied with 200/6.

The over became even more important because India went on to win the inaugural T20 World Cup. Yuvraj’s six sixes remain one of the defining images of that tournament and of Indian T20 cricket as a whole.

### 2. Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh – 36 Runs off Karim Janat vs Afghanistan, 2024

India waited more than 16 years to produce another 36-run T20I over.

This time, two batters shared the damage.

India were playing Afghanistan in Bengaluru and had recovered from a disastrous start. Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh had transformed the innings after India slipped to 22/4.

Karim Janat bowled the final over with India on 176/4.

The over began with Rohit hitting a boundary from a no-ball. He then continued the assault with sixes before giving Rinku the strike. Rinku finished the innings with three consecutive sixes.

By the time the over ended, India had added 36 runs and finished on 212/4.

The scoring sequence was unusual because the over included a no-ball and seven deliveries. Unlike Yuvraj’s six consecutive sixes, the runs were shared between Rohit and Rinku.

Rohit finished unbeaten on 121 from 69 balls, while Rinku made 69 not out from 39. Their unbeaten 190-run partnership rescued India from 22/4 and remains one of the great recovery partnerships in men’s T20I cricket.

Afghanistan later matched India’s 212, leading to an extraordinary match that required two Super Overs before India finally won.

3. Sanju Samson – 30 Runs off Rishad Hossain vs Bangladesh, 2024

Sanju Samson produced one of the cleanest individual overs ever played by an Indian T20I batter against Bangladesh in Hyderabad.

Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain began the tenth over with a dot ball.

Samson responded by hitting the next five deliveries for six.

The result was a 30-run over entirely from Samson’s bat.

It was a remarkable display because the shots did not all travel to the same area. Samson used his footwork, strong base and clean bat swing to attack both sides of the wicket.

The over accelerated an already dominant Indian innings and pushed Samson toward his maiden T20I century.

He reached three figures from only 40 balls and eventually made 111 from 47 deliveries, hitting 11 fours and eight sixes.

India finished on 297/6, one of the highest totals ever recorded by a Full Member nation in men’s T20I cricket, before completing a huge victory.

Samson’s 30-run attack was especially impressive because all the runs were credited to him. Among Indian batters, only Yuvraj’s 36-run destruction of Broad has produced more batter runs from a single T20I over.

### 4. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma – 30 Runs off Glenn Maxwell vs Australia, 2023

Ruturaj Gaikwad produced one of his finest T20I innings against Australia at Guwahati, and Glenn Maxwell suffered heavily during the final stages.

The 20th over cost Australia 30 runs.

Gaikwad did almost all the damage, with Tilak Varma also contributing after getting on strike.

A no-ball and a wide increased the number of deliveries available, but Gaikwad still had to punish them. He struck Maxwell for a series of boundaries and sixes as India surged beyond 220.

The over completed an extraordinary transformation in Gaikwad’s innings. He had started relatively slowly before accelerating dramatically after reaching his half-century.

Gaikwad finished unbeaten on 123 from 57 balls, including 13 fours and seven sixes. India reached 222/3.

The match also demonstrated one of T20 cricket’s central truths: even a huge final over does not guarantee victory. Maxwell responded with an unbeaten century in Australia’s chase and helped his team complete a last-ball win.

Even in defeat, Gaikwad’s final-over assault remains one of India’s biggest T20I overs.

5. Rohit Sharma – 29 Runs off Mitchell Starc vs Australia, 2024

Rohit Sharma’s assault on Mitchell Starc came on one of the biggest stages: India’s T20 World Cup Super Eight match against Australia in St Lucia.

Starc is one of the finest left-arm fast bowlers of his generation, but Rohit attacked him without hesitation.

During the third over, Rohit smashed Starc for four sixes and a four. A wide took the total cost of the over to 29 runs.

The sequence read 6, 6, 4, 6, dot, wide, 6.

Rohit himself scored 28 of those 29 runs.

The attack immediately changed the tone of the contest. India had lost Virat Kohli early, but instead of rebuilding cautiously, Rohit went after Australia’s leading fast bowler.

He eventually scored 92 from only 41 balls, hitting seven fours and eight sixes. India posted 205/5 and won by 24 runs.

The innings was important beyond the numbers. Australia were fighting to stay alive in the tournament, yet India’s captain attacked from the beginning and prevented their bowlers from controlling the powerplay.

Other Huge Overs by Indian Batters

Abhishek Sharma’s rapid century against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2024 included a 28-run over from Dion Myers. Ruturaj Gaikwad took a single while Abhishek supplied most of the damage, smashing 26 runs from the deliveries he faced.

Rohit Sharma was also central to a 27-run over against New Zealand’s Hamish Bennett in Hamilton in 2020. KL Rahul took the opening single before Rohit hammered the remaining deliveries for 26 runs through three sixes and two fours.

Another 26-run assault came during Rohit’s famous 118 against Sri Lanka at Indore in 2017. He destroyed Thisara Perera during an innings in which he reached his T20I century from just 35 balls.

Axar Patel and Suryakumar Yadav combined for 26 against Wanindu Hasaranga in Pune in 2023. Axar struck three consecutive sixes during the over as India attempted a huge chase.

Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh also collected 26 from Mehidy Hasan Miraz in Delhi in 2024. Nitish supplied most of the boundaries during a breakthrough innings of 74 from 34 balls.

These examples show that huge overs are no longer rare accidents in India’s T20 approach. They have become an important part of the team’s aggressive batting strategy.

Famous Big Overs in T20I Cricket

India are responsible for one of the most famous six-six overs, but other international batters have also achieved extraordinary feats.

Kieron Pollard became the second batter to hit six sixes in a single men’s T20I over when he attacked Sri Lanka spinner Akila Dananjaya in 2021.

Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee later joined the six-six club against Qatar in 2024.

Darius Visser of Samoa pushed the overall over total even higher in 2024. He was involved in a 39-run over against Vanuatu, helped by three no-balls. That became the highest-scoring over in men’s T20I history.

More players have subsequently reached the six-six milestone, but Yuvraj’s achievement remains historically significant because he was the first batter to do it in T20 international cricket.

A huge over does not always require six sixes. Extras, fours, no-balls and strike changes can push totals above 25 or even 30. The Rohit-Rinku over against Afghanistan is the perfect example: seven deliveries, two batters and 36 runs.

Yuvraj Singh’s Six Sixes Legacy

Yuvraj’s assault on Broad has survived as one of India’s most recognisable cricket moments.

The context made it special.

It happened during the first T20 World Cup, when international cricket was still discovering what the format could become. Batters had not yet developed the enormous range of power shots common in modern T20 cricket.

Yuvraj then produced an over that looked years ahead of its time.

He did not simply swing wildly. His sixes covered different parts of the ground and showed his extraordinary bat speed, timing and ability to pick length early.

The performance also helped create one of cricket’s most famous statistical records: a 12-ball fifty.

That record lasted as the outright fastest men’s T20I half-century until Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee reached fifty from nine balls in 2023. Yuvraj’s 12-ball effort nevertheless remains the fastest fifty by an Indian in men’s T20Is.

Most importantly, the over became part of India’s title-winning journey.

Three days later, Yuvraj smashed 70 from 30 balls against Australia in the semi-final. India then defeated Pakistan in the final.

The six sixes therefore represent more than individual power hitting. They became a symbol of the fearless batting that helped India win the first men’s T20 World Cup.

Impact of Explosive Overs in T20Is

A 25-run or 30-run over can completely alter the mathematics of a T20 match.

Imagine a batting side scoring eight runs per over. After 15 overs, it would be on course for around 160. One 30-run over can suddenly move that projection close to 180 or 190 without requiring the same level of aggression throughout the innings.

The psychological effect is just as important.

After conceding multiple consecutive boundaries, a bowler often changes plans. Yorkers become full tosses, slower balls become predictable and captains move fielders toward the boundary.

That creates opportunities in later overs.

Explosive overs are particularly valuable during chases because they can reduce the required run rate instantly. A team needing 60 from four overs faces a difficult task. Score 25 in one over and the equation becomes 35 from three, changing both pressure and strategy.

India’s modern T20 batting increasingly revolves around this idea.

Players such as Rohit, Suryakumar, Samson, Abhishek, Rinku and Hardik Pandya have been encouraged to identify favourable matchups and attack them rather than simply preserving wickets.

The result is a batting style in which one bowler can be deliberately targeted for a match-changing over.

Yuvraj showed the extreme version in 2007. Modern Indian batters have turned the same principle into a regular tactical weapon.

FAQs

### What is the most runs scored in an over by an Indian batter in T20Is?

Yuvraj Singh scored 36 runs from Stuart Broad’s over against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup by hitting all six deliveries for six.

Which Indian batter hit five sixes in one T20I over?

Sanju Samson hit five consecutive sixes off Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain in Hyderabad in 2024. The over produced 30 runs after starting with a dot ball.

### How many runs did Rohit Sharma score off Mitchell Starc in one over?

Rohit scored 28 runs from Starc’s bowling during one over at the 2024 T20 World Cup. A wide took the complete over total to 29.

Have India scored 36 runs in a T20I over more than once?

Yes. Yuvraj Singh scored all 36 against England in 2007. Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh combined for another 36-run over against Afghanistan in Bengaluru in 2024.

### Who was the first player to hit six sixes in a T20I over?

Yuvraj Singh was the first. He hit England fast bowler Stuart Broad for six consecutive sixes at Durban on September 19, 2007.

What was Yuvraj Singh’s score against England after the six-sixes over?

Yuvraj finished with 58 from 16 balls. His innings helped India score 218/4 before winning the match by 18 runs.