Despite scoring three consecutive ducks in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, Abhishek Sharmawill continue his reign as World’s no.1 T20I batter, as ICC released the updated T20I rankings on Wednesday, February 18. On the other hand, his partner in crime in the Indian team, Ishan Kishan has stormed into the top 10, as he has been unstoppable since his epic return to the Indian set-up. Unlike Abhishek, the Jharkhand-batter has scored two consecutive fifties in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

On that note, here is a close look at the T20 international careers of two of the biggest power hitters in World cricket today.

Abhishek Sharma has played 40 T20I matches for India as of now, while batting in 39 of those matches. In those innings, the Punjab player has scored 1297 runs while facing only 671 deliveries and with the highest score of 135. What makes his record impressive is his strike rate of 193.30.

On the other hand, Ishan Kishan has played 39 T20I matches for the Men in Blue, scoring 1169 runs while facing 813 balls, with a highest score of 103. He has a career strike rate of 143.79, which is pretty impressive but nowhere near Abhishek’s level. 

Apart from the strike rate, one more facet of the T20I batting is batting average, because that defines any player’s consistency. Abhishek, even while scoring at a brisk rate, has maintained a batting average of 35.05, which clearly signifies why he is ruling the batting charts in T20 cricket. He also has scored eight half-centuries and two centuries.

Kishan, too, has been a consistent performer. He has a batting average of 30.76 and has scored nine half-centuries and a solitary century in his T20I career. Kishan is also one of the few Indian batters to have scored centuries in all the three formats. 

Abhishek has impressive numbers across conditions in his short career, maintaining his reputation as an aggressive top-order batter. In home conditions, he has featured in 18 matches, scoring 599 runs at an average of 35.23 and a staggering strike rate of 212.41, including one century and three half-centuries, including the highest score of 135.

Away from home, Abhishek has played 15 matches, scoring 414 runs off 244 balls at an average of 31.84, with a top score of 100. While the strike rate drops slightly compared to home performances, it still stands at a strong 169.67.

At neutral venues, Abhishek has been particularly consistent. In seven matches, he has scored 284 runs at an impressive average of 40.57, with the highest score of 75. He has struck at 195.86 after facing 145 deliveries and has notched up three half-centuries.

Kishan, on the other hand has experienced mixed returns across conditions, with his most productive performances coming at home, where he has played 29 matches and scored 941 runs in 638 deliveries at an average of 33.60 and strike rate of 147.49, including one century and eight half-centuries.

In away matches, Kishan has featured in eight games and has accumulated 136 runs at an average of 19.42 and strike rate of 119.29.

At neutral venues, Kishan has played three matches, scoring 92 runs at an average of 30.66 and an impressive strike rate of 150.81. Overall, Kishan’s numbers reflect strong dominance in home conditions, while his away performances suggest room for greater consistency in away matches.

This is where both the players give a fight to one another. Both Abhishek and Ishan, both have won the Player of the Match five times.

In conclusion, while both of them are match winners in their own right, Abhishek Sharma is slightly superior T20I batter between the two.