The T20I format was introduced in 2005, two years before the inaugural T20I World Cup in South Africa. India was the nation to win the first-ever T20I WC in 2007 under the young captain MS Dhoni. The franchise cricket, especially the IPL has brought a lot of importance to the T20 format of the game. A format, in which no team is a favorite. Any team can win on a given day. The format brought a lot of changes to the game of cricket and with the amount of money involved, it has become most famous among the fans. In this article, we will tell you about the top run-scorers in the shortest format as captains.
1. Aaron Finch
The former Australian opening batter and captain was born in Victoria in 1986. He made his T20I debut against England in 2011 at the Adelaide Oval. The batter was known for his firepower display of batting in the powerplay overs. He was appointed as the T20I captain in 2014 and led the team in 76 matches. His best score as captain was an unbelievable 172. As the skipper in the shortest format, he scored 2236 runs at an average of 32.41. The former player also has fourteen 50s to his name along with one 100.
2. Babar Azam
Babar Azam is the current captain for Pakistan across all formats. He is considered as one of the best batters in the world. He made his T20I debut against England in 2016. Known for his consistent batting, the player is an opener for his nation in the shortest format. He played his first match as the skipper in the T20I in 2019 against Australia. Since then, he has led the team in 71 matches and batted in 65 of those. He has scored 2195 runs as captain with the highest score of 122 and an average of 37.84.
3. Kane Williamson
When it comes to absorbing the pressure, Kane Williamson is one of the best in the business. The gritty right-handed batter was born in Tauranga in 1990. He made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in 2011 followed by his captaincy debut in the same format in 2012. Since then, he has led the team in 69 T20 internationals. During his captaincy stint, he has scored 2042 runs in the shortest format. He has the best score of 95 and an average of 33.48. The Kiwi has scored fifteen 50s as the captain in the T20I format.
4. Virat Kohli
The bigger the stage, the more he wants to contribute. An absolute champion of the game, Virat Kohli, made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in 2010. He was handed over the captaincy from MS Dhoni and led India for the first time in this format in 2017 and went on to captain the team in 50 T20I matches. As captain, he scored 1570 runs in 46 innings. His highest score was 94* against the West Indies. The batter and the former skipper scored 13 half-centuries as captain in T20Is and his average is an impeccable 47.58.
5. Rohit Sharma
Known as the “Hitman,” Rohit Sharma is a right-handed opening batter and the current India skipper across all formats. He made his T20I debut against England in 2007. He started his career as a middle-order batter and then became an opener in the white ball formats. This change worked wonders for him. He was given the captaincy in 2017 and has led the team in 51 matches till now. The batter has scored 1527 runs as captain in the shortest format. His average is 32.49 and he has scored two 100s already.
6. Eoin Morgan
The southpaw from England was a former middle-order batter and a captain for England in the white-ball formats. He made his T20I debut against the Netherlands in 2009 at the Lord’s. He was given the captaincy in the shortest format in 2012 against India. He went on to lead the team in 72 matches and scored 1469 runs as the skipper. His highest score was 91 and he played with an average of 27.72 as captain. He was known for his powerful striking down the order. He last played a T20I against the West Indies in 2022.
7. Faf Du Plessis
Faf Du Plessis is a South African opening batter who was born in 1984 in Pretoria. He made his T20I debut against England in 2012. The right-handed batter, who is known for demolishing the bowling attack with ease, made his captaincy debut in the same year and led the team in 40 matches. In those matches, he scored 1273 runs at an average of 37.44. His best score was 119 and the batter has also scored seven 50s as captain.
8. MS Dhoni
The captain cool of Indian cricket, MS Dhoni, was a former wicketkeeper and a middle-order batter. He made his T20I debut against South Africa in 2006, a few months ago before lifting the T20 WC trophy. He led the team in 72 matches in the T20 format from 2007 until 2016. He was known to finish the games with ease and scored 1112 runs as the captain in the shortest format.
9. Andrew Balbirnie
The right-handed batter was born in Dublin in 1990. He made his T20I debut against Scotland in 2015 and was named as the captain in 2020 vs. the West Indies. He led the team in 51 matches and scored 1067 runs as captain in the T20 format. His best score is 75* and the batter has four 50s to his name as captain.
10. Asghar Afghan
Asghar Afghan is a right-handed batter and a former captain for Afghanistan in the shortest format. He made his T20I debut against Ireland in 2010 followed by his captaincy debut in 2015. He led the team in 51 T20I matches until 2021 and scored 1020 runs as captain. His best score was 62 and he scored 4 half-centuries during his captaincy tenure.
