IND vs NZ: Shreyas Iyer on the brink of breaking Rohit Sharma’s unique T20I captaincy record

Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer Shreyas Iyer is closing in on the record held by Rohit Sharma and will have a chance to become India’s highest run-scorer as T20I captain in the calendar year when the team take on New Zealand in the second match of the five-match series at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday (October 24).Iyer, who took over as India’s T20I captain from Suryakumar Yadav in June, has scored 632 runs in 22 matches as captain this year. He needs 25 runs in Saturday’s match to surpass Rohit’s tally of 656 runs scored by the former India captain in 29 T20Is in 2022.Rohit led India to the T20 World Cup title in 2024. However, the record for most runs by a captain in T20Is in a calendar year belongs to Pakistan’s Babar Azam, who scored 939 runs in 29 matches as captain in 2021. Japan’s Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming is second on the list, having scored 2080 points for 2086 points.Batting at No.4 in India’s series opener against New Zealand on Thursday, Iyer scored 42 off 28 balls during a 226-run chase. India won the match by four wickets.The Punjab Kings captain in the IPL also has a chance to break another record in T20 cricket this year. Iyer has scored 1,130 runs as a captain across T20 matches in 2026. He needs 96 runs in Saturday’s match to surpass Babar’s tally of 1,225 runs scored by a Pakistan batsman in 35 matches as a captain in 2021.Ishan Kishan dismissed from the second T20I against New ZealandIndia wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan has been ruled out of the second T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday after suffering a right adductor strain during the series opener.Kishan’s absence could open the door for 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to make his debut in the senior Indian team.The youngster last played for India during the Asian Games in Japan where he scored 15 in the semi-final against Sri Lanka and 38 in the final against Pakistan. India won their second gold medal in a row.