400 and counting: Why India are six runs ahead

Abhishek Sharma has hit 86 sixes this calendar year for India. (PTI) NEW DELHI: India hit 289 sixes in 40 T20Is in 2022. Four years later, she broke 400 in the same number of games, a staggering 38.4 percent increase. And the six-punch spree is far from over. It was only suspended for eight weeks, with Shreyas Iyer’s men set to resume their spectacular feat against Sri Lanka in the three-match T20I series in December.On the second ball of the 19th over against New Zealand, Naman Dhir’s top edge flew over fine leg and landed 15 runs back in the stands. In 2026, it was India’s 400th six, making them the first team to achieve this monumental milestone. Of these, 142 came against New Zealand, the most India have hit against any opposition in a calendar year.India’s ability to bat for sixes was also one of the reasons for their 3-2 series win against New Zealand. Indian batters smashed 142 sixes against New Zealand’s 61. In pure numbers, that’s a difference of 486 runs.Most of India’s sixes have come from the top three, with Abhishek Sharma leading the way with 86 sixes, followed by Ishan Kishan (60) and Sanju Samson (50). It also tells the story of why India are the only team to cross the 100-run mark twice in the Powerplay. India smashed 145 sixes in the first six overs alone. In their 40 matches, the Indian batsmen have amassed 2,681 runs in 239 overs, at a whopping strike rate of 189.96 and a staggering pace of 11.21.These numbers reflect India’s dominance in T20I cricket, which has won the T20 World Cup titles. Renowned power hitting coach Julian Wood believes India’s approach to batting is vastly different from that of other teams.“I think India approach T20 cricket differently from other nations. They bat differently and they don’t manage risk in the traditional sense. Instead of managing risk, you have to develop a skill and I think Indian batsmen do that very well,” Julian Wood, power hitting coach, told TimesofIndia.com.“India probably has the largest pool of players playing T20 cricket in the world, which means they adapt more quickly to the evolution of the game. The game has evolved massively and will continue to evolve, but India is definitely ahead at the moment,” he adds.

Batting has evolved massively and continues to evolve very rapidly. Batsmen are now hitting long balls. The only delivery you really don’t hit is the yorker.

Julian Wood | Strength trainer

While flatter pitches and smaller boundaries are often cited as reasons for the rise in six-strikes, Wood believes the evolution of batting has left bowlers with very little room for error.“Batting has evolved massively and continues to evolve very rapidly. Batsmen are now hitting long balls. The only shot you can’t hit is the yorker,” he says.Citing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s ability to hit all over the ground, from medium to fine leg, Wood explains that bowlers have little room for error against such aggressive batsmen. “If you’re going to bowl wide to him, you’d probably have to bite wide and full. But you have to execute the delivery perfectly. The problem with bowlers is that if they miss, the ball goes not just for four, but for six. That puts them under a lot of pressure.”

India’s Abhishek Sharma, left, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (AP/PTI)

Wood points to Sooryavanshi’s sixes off Jasprit Bumrah and Pat Cummins in the IPL as examples of this changing mindset. “It almost seems like there’s a lack of respect there, but he knows that if the bowler doesn’t hit, he can hit him for a six. The mindset of the batsmen and the bowlers has changed. The batsmen now think, ‘If he doesn’t hit, I’ll hit him for a six.’“I worked with Liam Livingston a lot. When he was on top, his mindset was similar. He knew if a bowler executed his skill perfectly he could get him out. But if the bowler missed he would hit him for six. That mindset is very dangerous.”Sunrisers Hyderabad batting coach Hariesh Jaikumar echoes Wood’s sentiments, attributing the development of T20 batting primarily to the improvement in batting standards.

I think the batting quality has improved a lot. The players also started playing fearless cricket. They don’t have the inhibitions batsmen used to have.

Hariesh Jaikumar | Sunrisers Hyderabad batting coach

“You have to give credit to the batsmen. People say the pitches have become flatter, but even three or four years ago similar pitches were being prepared,” he told the website.“I think the quality of batting has improved a lot. The players have also started playing fearless cricket. They don’t have the inhibitions that batsmen used to have. The game itself has completely evolved,” he adds.One of the biggest changes in India’s batting since the defeat to England during the 2022 FIFA T20 World Cup has been the emphasis on taking the wicket and moving away from relying on finishers to deliver big hits towards the end. Today, it is the openers who dominate the power bowlers.“I think there’s a new breed of cricketer emerging. Players who were traditionally finishers are now batting higher up the order. Instead of asking them to face only 10-15 balls, teams want them to face more deliveries,” explains Wood.“When those players move up the order, the batsmen coming behind them are also strikers with a first ball mindset. That’s how I see the game developing. Five years from now, teams could be full of these types of cricketers. All the top eight batsmen can be players who just want to smash the ball. We’re starting to see that,” he says.

Everyone knows that Test cricket and ODI cricket complement each other but T20 cricket is a different beast now.

Julian Wood | Strength trainer

Wood believes that the development of T20 cricket has also had a positive impact on the 50-over format and Test cricket, particularly by encouraging batsmen to take a more aggressive approach.“The game is phenomenal. T20 cricket will help 50-over cricket as we have already seen. Sri Lanka, for example, chased 430 against India and England. It’s great for the game. Everyone knows that Test cricket and ODI cricket complement each other, but T20 cricket is a different beast now,” he says.India’s 400 sixes is more than just a statistical milestone. They reflect a shift in batting philosophy where power hitting is no longer the preserve of finishers but a skill expected across the top order. As Wood points out, in the next phase of T20 cricket, teams loaded with batsmen would attack from ball one. India, meanwhile, is already giving a glimpse of what that future looks like.