Abhishek surpasses Suryavanshi to become the new 'Six-Hitting King'

Poor Vaibhav Suryavanshi! He didn't get a chance to play a single match in the three-game T20 series against Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma surged far ahead of him in the race for sixes.

Abhishek now holds the record for the most sixes hit by an Indian batsman across all forms of T20 cricket this year—96 in total. The left-handed opener smashed 22 sixes in the series against Afghanistan alone. In contrast, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who was leading before the series began, is currently at 86 sixes.

Suryavanshi’s flurry of sixes in fewer matches

However, there is a significant statistic in Suryavanshi's favor. The 15-year-old batsman has hit 86 sixes in just 22 matches—averaging one six every 4.99 balls.

In comparison, Abhishek has averaged one six every 6.64 balls.

So, while Abhishek leads in the total number of sixes, Suryavanshi’s strike rate—considering the number of matches and balls faced—is remarkably impressive.

The record being challenged belongs to Abhishek himself

Abhishek has another point in his favor: the record he is currently competing to break is one he set himself.

Last year, he set the record for the most sixes by an Indian batsman in a single calendar year by hitting 108 of them. The year before that, he had also smashed 87 sixes.

Essentially, Abhishek has been steadily climbing the ranks in the six-hitting charts for three consecutive years.

India’s dominance in the global six-hitting race

Abhishek’s dominance is even more evident when looking solely at Indian players. However, Indian batsmen also rank highly when compared to cricketers worldwide.

In 2025, with 108 sixes, Abhishek was the second-highest six-hitter among batsmen from Full Member nations. Ahead of him was West Indies' Nicholas Pooran, who hit 121 sixes.

However, the match count is a crucial factor here; Pooran hit 13 more sixes than Abhishek but played 22 more matches to achieve that tally. Abhishek holds the third spot on the list for most sixes this year as well. Ahead of him are Pooran and Finn Allen; Pooran has hit 99 sixes, while Allen has hit 101. However, both have played significantly more matches than Abhishek.

While Abhishek has played 41 matches, Pooran has played 49 and Allen 52.

Where would Abhishek stand if he had played more matches?

This is where the statistics become even more intriguing. It is easy to surmise where Abhishek’s six-hitting tally would have reached had he been given the opportunity to play another 8–10 matches, much like Pooran or Allen.

The gap is even more pronounced in Suryavanshi’s case; he has played 19 fewer matches than Abhishek, yet he has 86 sixes to his name.

There are structural reasons behind Indian cricketers playing fewer matches. Players like Abhishek do not have the opportunity to participate in various franchise leagues abroad. Furthermore, India frequently rotates its squad in international T20s.

A case in point regarding Suryavanshi was the series against Afghanistan; he did not get a chance to take the field in any of the three matches.

In contrast, cricketers like Nicholas Pooran and Finn Allen have regular opportunities to play in franchise leagues. Consequently, they play more matches and have more chances to hit sixes.

While Abhishek currently leads in terms of raw numbers, Suryavanshi’s statistics regarding the rate of sixes per match are also particularly noteworthy.