Across the three formats of international cricket in 2021, a small constellation of batsmen rose above the ordinary, turning personal consistency into something approaching art. England's Joe Root rewrote the Test record books with 1,692 runs in a single calendar year, while Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan became the first batsman in history to surpass 1,000 T20 international runs in a calendar year — a feat that helped carry his nation to a historic World Cup victory over India. The year reminded the cricketing world that individual brilliance and collective triumph do not always travel together,
Root, Rizwan lead cricket's elite batsmen in 2021 run-scoring race
The first batsman to breach 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year
Mark
What made 2021 different for these batsmen? Was it the format, the opposition, or something about the year itself?
Mimi
It was partly circumstance—fewer matches played due to Covid meant every game mattered more, and these players showed up. But it was also hunger. Root had something to prove as captain. Rizwan was fighting for recognition in a format that hadn't always valued him. Pant was still riding the high of Australia.
Mark
Rizwan's 1,000 runs in T20s—that's a number that will stick around. Did anyone see that coming?
Mimi
Not really. He'd been good, but 1,326 runs at 73.66 average? That's not just good, that's a different tier. He made the shortest format look like a test of technique, not just power.
Mark
And yet Babar Azam was right behind him with 939 runs. How did Pakistan produce two batsmen like that in the same year?
Mimi
They had a clear role for each of them. Rizwan was the aggressor, the one who set the tone. Babar was the anchor, the one who could accelerate when needed. It's a partnership that won them a World Cup.
Mark
Root scored 1,692 Test runs but England didn't win much. Does that bother the story?
Mimi
It complicates it. Root was brilliant individually, but brilliance in isolation doesn't win matches. That's the tension—he's fourth all-time in calendar-year Test runs, but his team struggled. It's a reminder that cricket is still a team game.
Mark
What about the players who didn't make the list? What were they doing?
Mimi
Grinding. Playing fewer matches, averaging less, or simply having off years. Pujara, for instance, played 14 matches but never found a century. He was there, he was useful, but he wasn't in the conversation.
The Pulse
- Joe Root's 1,692 Test runs placed him fourth on the all-time single-year list, yet England's team fortunes remained stubbornly troubled around him.
- Mohammad Rizwan shattered a barrier no T20 batsman had ever reached, scoring 1,326 runs at an average of 73.66 — a record that may stand for years.
- Pakistan's Rizwan and Babar Azam formed a partnership so dominant it powered their nation to a World Cup win over India, a result decades in the waiting.
- Ireland's Paul Stirling quietly topped ODI run-scoring charts with 705 runs, a reminder that individual excellence flourishes far beyond cricket's traditional powerhouses.
- The year closed with a clear tension between personal achievement and team outcome — Root's genius could not rescue England, while Rizwan's history-making helped Pakistan seize a historic moment.
Across the three formats of international cricket in 2021, a small constellation of batsmen rose above the ordinary, turning personal consistency into something approaching art. England's Joe Root rewrote the Test record books with 1,692 runs in a single calendar year, while Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan became the first batsman in history to surpass 1,000 T20 international runs in a calendar year — a feat that helped carry his nation to a historic World Cup victory over India. The year reminded the cricketing world that individual brilliance and collective triumph do not always travel together, yet sometimes, one can quietly carry the other.
The year 2021 belonged to the hitters. Across cricket's three formats, a handful of batsmen separated themselves through relentless run-scoring, turning the year into a study in individual brilliance.
In Test cricket, England captain Joe Root was the defining figure. Across 15 matches and 29 innings, he accumulated 1,692 runs at an average of 62.66 — placing him fourth on the all-time list for most Test runs in a calendar year, behind only Mohammad Yousuf, Viv Richards, and Graeme Smith. Two double centuries and six single centuries marked a masterclass in consistency, even as England's collective record remained troubled. India's Rohit Sharma finished second globally with 906 runs in 11 matches, his transition to opener now fully matured. Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne posted the year's single highest individual innings — 244 runs — while averaging an extraordinary 69.38 across just seven matches.
In one-day internationals, Ireland's Paul Stirling topped the charts with 705 runs at 54.23, including three centuries. South Africa's Janneman Malan offered perhaps the more startling number: an average of 84.83 across eight matches, with a highest score of 177 not out.
The most striking narrative, however, belonged to T20 internationals. Mohammad Rizwan became the first player ever to breach 1,000 runs in the shortest format within a single calendar year, finishing with 1,326 runs at 73.66 across 29 matches. His captain, Babar Azam, finished second in the same format with 939 runs. Together, they formed the backbone of Pakistan's T20 World Cup campaign, which culminated in a historic victory over India — Pakistan's first World Cup win against their rivals in any format.
What 2021 ultimately revealed is that individual excellence and team success are not always the same journey. Root's brilliance could not carry England. Rizwan's historic run-scoring helped Pakistan achieve something the nation had chased for decades. Sometimes the greatest performances belong simply to those who refused to miss the ball.
The year 2021 belonged to the hitters. Across cricket's three formats, a handful of batsmen separated themselves from the pack through relentless run-scoring, turning 2021 into a year defined by individual brilliance even as teams rose and fell around them.
In Test cricket, England captain Joe Root was the story. Playing 15 matches across 29 innings, Root accumulated 1,692 runs at an average of 62.66—a rate of scoring that placed him fourth on the all-time list for most Test runs in a single calendar year, behind only Mohammad Yousuf, Viv Richards, and Graeme Smith. Root's year included two double centuries and six single centuries, with a high score of 228. It was a masterclass in consistency, even if England's overall record in the format remained troubled. For India, Rohit Sharma emerged as the nation's leading Test run-scorer, finishing second globally with 906 runs in 11 matches. His transition to opening the batting, which began in 2019, had fully matured by 2021, and his performances in England proved he could excel anywhere. Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne, the 33-year-old captain, posted the single highest individual innings of the year—244 runs—while averaging an extraordinary 69.38 across seven matches. India's Rishabh Pant, riding momentum from his heroics in Australia that helped India retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scored 748 runs in 12 matches and registered his first Test century of the year against England. Cheteshwar Pujara, India's batting stalwart, managed 702 runs across 14 matches but struggled to find the century that eluded him throughout the year.
In one-day internationals, the spotlight fell on Ireland's Paul Stirling, who topped the global run-scoring charts with 705 runs in 14 matches at an average of 54.23, including three centuries. South Africa's Janneman Malan, a young talent emerging on the international stage, posted an even more impressive average of 84.83, scoring 509 runs in just eight matches with two centuries and a highest score of 177 not out.
But it was in T20 internationals where 2021 produced its most striking narrative. Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan's opening batsman, became the first and only player to breach the 1,000-run barrier in the shortest format within a single calendar year. Across 29 matches and 26 innings, Rizwan amassed 1,326 runs at an average of 73.66, punctuated by 12 half-centuries and one century. His dominance was so complete that his captain, Babar Azam, finished second in the same format with 939 runs in 29 matches. Together, Rizwan and Azam formed the backbone of Pakistan's T20 World Cup campaign, which culminated in a historic victory over India—Pakistan's first World Cup win against their rivals in any format. New Zealand's Martin Guptill finished third in T20I run-scoring with 678 runs in 18 matches, though his team's run to the World Cup final ultimately ended in defeat to Australia.
What emerged from 2021 was a year in which individual excellence transcended team success. Root's brilliance could not carry England to Test victories. Rizwan's historic run-scoring helped Pakistan achieve something the nation had chased for decades. The year proved that in cricket, as in much else, sometimes the greatest performances belong to those who simply refused to miss the ball.
Notable Quotes
Mohammad Rizwan nearly conquered the T20I format of cricket in 2021, becoming the only batsman to reach the 1,000-run mark in the shortest format— 2021 cricket statistics
Want the full story?
Read the original at India TV News ↗
Health & Medicine