The T20 format was just an experiment to start with. However, it received worldwide recognition with the growth of the Indian Premier League and the involvement of more teams in the T20 World Cup. Unlike the ODI World Cups and the ICC World Test Championship, the T20 World Cups feature more associate teams.
This has helped in increasing the popularity of the format. The special thing about T20s is that the batsmen accelerate right from the first ball. This approach was not seen regularly in the ODIs and Tests. The cricketers entertain the fans with their unique skills and talents. T20I has witnessed a lot of batsmen inventing new shots in order to score runs quickly.
And, in this article, we will have a look at the top 10 T20I batsmen of this decade and their ratings:
Suresh Raina – 7/10
Indian middle-order batsman, Suresh Raina had been a match-winner for his nation in the shortest format of the game. At the beginning of this decade, he became the first Indian to score a T20I hundred. Raina achieved this feat against South Africa in the 2010 T20 World Cup.
He cemented his spot in the Indian team and also captained the team on a few occasions. The left-handed batsman scored 1,456 runs in 67 games in this decade while he recorded one hundred and four half-centuries.
His strike of 136.97 shows his aggressive technique of playing cricket. The Uttar Pradesh-born batsman usually played as a finisher but the team also used him as a number 3 batsman.
Colin Munro – 7.5/10
Colin Munro has been one of the biggest names in T20I cricket thanks to his three centuries in this format. He made his T20I debut in 2012 yet Munro has only played 60 matches for his country. In those 60 games, he has aggregated 1,546 runs.
The left-handed batsman has registered three hundreds and nine fifties this decade while also getting out for a duck in five innings. His average of 30.92 signifies his consistency in this format.
The reason why he is placed so low in this list is that he has struggled to do well outside New Zealand. The grounds in New Zealand are small in size hence, a batsman like Munro can smash the bowlers all around the park. This is a key reason why he has struck 100 sixes in T20Is during the last 8 years.
Glenn Maxwell – 8/10
Just like Colin Munro, Glenn Maxwell believes in going hard right from the first ball. The Australian all-rounder has evolved his approach towards the game over the last few years but still he remains to be one of the most attacking batsmen on the planet.
Maxwell played his first T20 match for Australia in 2012. He has played 61 matches till date, scoring 1,576 runs at an average of 35.02. The highlighting statistic of his T20I career is his impressive strike rate of 160.
Another statistic of Glenn Maxwell’s career which matches that of Colin Munro is the number of T20I hundreds. The right-handed Australian has registered three centuries this decade with his highest score being 145*.
Mohammad Hafeez – 8/10
While Glenn Maxwell and Colin Munro are regarded as attacking batsmen, Pakistan’s all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez is a player who loves to build the innings. The value of such batsmen is much more in T20I cricket and hence, he is one of the most capped players from Pakistan.
The right-handed batsman has not played a T20I match in 2019 but in this decade, he has scored 1,726 runs in 80 matches. He was the backbone of Pakistan’s batting order during his prime.
He registered 10 T20I half-centuries in the last nine years however, his strike rate was only 115.52. Hafeez always neglected the aerial route when scoring runs which is why his strike rate is on the lower side. He hit 173 fours and 47 sixes for Pakistan from 2010 to 2018.
David Warner – 8.5/10
David Warner has been one of the most controversial players of this decade as the Australian opener has always found himself amidst unnecessary controversies. Despite the off-field drama, Warner continues to be one of the best batsmen on the planet, especially in T20Is.
He has played 68 T20I matches for Australia in this decade, aggregating 1,806 runs at a fantastic strike rate of 141.09. The opener has always provided solid starts to his nation in the shortest format of the game.
Warner has scored one century and thirteen half-centuries in this decade. The left-handed batsman has struck 177 fours and 77 maximums. He had been suspended from international cricket for a while yet he holds a higher rank in this list.
Aaron Finch – 8.5/10
David Warner’s opening partner, Aaron Finch has been another prolific opener in the T20I arena. The right-handed batsman has formed a terrific combination with Warner as the Australian pair has decimated a lot of bowling attacks in the last few years.
Finch held the record for the highest individual score in T20I cricket after his knock of 156 runs against England. And, five years later, he himself broke his own record by playing incredible innings of 172 versus Zimbabwe in 2018.
Talking about his approach of playing now, Finch usually takes the aggressive way but on a few instances, he has taken his own time to settle in the middle. But his talent to pace the innings has helped him to have a strike rate of 156.50 in T20I cricket.
Eoin Morgan – 9/10
English captain, Eoin Morgan has set an example of leadership by taking his team to the World Cup in 2019. England had won the T20 World Cup at the turn of this decade and Morgan would be keen to repeat history in the approaching decade.
Shifting our focus to his individual performances now, Morgan has his 10 fifties in this decade. The left-handed batsman has batted in the middle-order and, played the role of a finisher as well as an innings builder.
He has scored 1,901 runs in 81 T20I innings while he has an average of 29.24. Morgan’s strike rate of 134.34 does not reflect the reality however, the cricket fans would know about the unbelievable abilities that the former Ireland player possesses.
Martin Guptill – 9/10
Very few openers have been so successful as Martin Guptill in the T20I format. The Kiwi opener is one of the three players who surpassed the 2,000 runs landmark in the T20I matches played during the last ten years. Guptill played 71 matches and aggregated 2,197 runs.
His average of 34.87 showcases his consistency whereas he also has an impressive strike rate of 136.29. He has one of the key reasons behind New Zealand’s success in the last few openers.
Although he is yet to make it big in the Indian Premier League, the right-handed batsman has hit two hundreds and 15 fifties in the last decade. Besides, he has also remained unbeaten six times in his career.
Virat Kohli – 9.5/10
Regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of this decade, Virat Kohli has been unstoppable ever since he made his debut. The right-handed batsman has improved his game a lot and emerged as the most consistent player in T20Is. The reason he is at the number 2 position is because he has skipped a lot of matches in his career.
BCCI has offered him a lot of rest during the T20I matches however, that has not had a negative impact on Kohli’s T20I career. He has featured in just 74 T20I games and still, he holds the record for scoring the most number of runs.
Apart from that, another statistic which has kept him away from the pole position is his number of hundreds. The Indian skipper bats at number three batsman and thus, he has received many opportunities where he could have scored a hundred. For the record, Kohli has scored 23 T20I fifties in his career.
Rohit Sharma – 9.5/10
The only batsman who has played better T20I cricket than Virat Kohli in the last ten years is his deputy in the Indian leadership department, Rohit Sharma. The Mumbai-born batsman owns the record of scoring the most T20I hundreds having scored four of them.
Rohit had made his debut during the 2007 T20 World Cup but he could never seal his place in the Indian team. It was only after his promotion to the opening position that Sharma emerged as a match-winner for India.
He has scored an astounding 107 sixes along with 206 boundaries in 89 T20I games. Rohit is only behind his captain in terms of scoring more T20I runs but his strike rate of 138.73 is a bit better than Kohli. Hence, he rightfully deserves the numero uno position on this countdown.
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