Shikhar Dhawan snaps Virat Kohli's record of most T20I runs in a year

Shikhar Dhawan has become India's highest run-getter in T20Is this year, amassing 648 runs from 16 games he has played so far.

Image credit:Twitter/@ICC

India's swashbuckling opener Shikhar Dhawan added yet another feather in his cap by snatching skipper Virat Kohli's record of most Twenty20 international runs in a calendar year.

The 32-year-old achieved the feat on Wednesday when he smashed a quick-fire half-century during India's opening T20I match against Australia, which the home side went on to win by a narrow four runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series at The Gabba, Brisbane. 

After the Men in Blue lost opener Rohit Sharma cheaply for seven runs, Dhawan steadied the side's innings by notching up 76 runs off just 42 balls to help the team reach close to the set target of 174 runs before they eventually fell short of four runs. 

Heading into the match, Dhawan needed just 69 runs to overtake Kohli's long-standing record. And he did manage to achieve the milestone in style with an impressive inning, decorated with 10 fours and two sixes. 

By achieving the feat, the stylish left-hander has now become India's highest run-getter in the shortest format of the game this year--amassing a total of 648 runs from 16 games he has played so far. 

Kohli had earlier held a record with 641 runs in 13 innings, which the skipper scored in 2016. 

Dhawan will now look to plunder more runs when the two sides lock horns in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday.