Who has scored the most runs in Asia Cup? Virat Kohli leads T20I charts as Rohit Sharma close in on Sachin Tendulkar

Rahul Iyer

Who has scored the most runs in Asia Cup? Virat Kohli leads T20I charts as Rohit Sharma close in on Sachin Tendulkar image

With just one day to go for the Asia Cup to kick off, the excitement around the tournament has been building, not least for the fact that it serves as a curtain-raiser for the ODI World Cup starting in just over a month's time.

MORE: Bet on Asia Cup 2023 and other cricket matches from India!

The Asia Cup has a storied history of its own, with this region being one of the most popular ones in the world for cricket to grow and flourish. The first tournament was held in 1984 with the participants being India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Over the years, the tournament has expanded to include the likes of Bangladesh, UAE, Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Nepal.

Here, The Sporting News takes a look at the top run-scorers in the history of the competition.

Who has scored the most runs in Asia Cup history (ODI)?

Given that two Asia Cups (2016 & 2022) have taken place in the T20I format, it is only right to separate the two formats and have a look at the records.

In the ODI format, two Sri Lankans lead the charts as the only players to have scored more than 1000 runs in the Asia Cup; Sanath Jayasuriya (1220) and Kumar Sangakkara (1075). India's top run-scorer is Sachin Tendulkar with 971 runs.

MORE: Will India travel to Pakistan for Asia Cup? 

Indian captain Rohit Sharma has 745 runs so far and will be looking to overtake Tendulkar in this edition. Virat Kohli lags behind with 613 runs, having not participated in the 2018 Asia Cup.

Top run-scorers in Asia Cup (ODI) history
Player National Team Innings Runs Average Strike Rate
Sanath Jayasuriya Sri Lanka 24 1220 53.0 102.5
Kumar Sangakkara Sri Lanka 23 1075 48.9 84.5
Sachin Tendulkar India 21 971 51.1 85.5
Shoaib Malik Pakistan 15 786 65.5 90.7
Rohit Sharma India 21 745 46.6 84.9

Who has scored the most runs in Asia Cup history (T20I)?

If Kohli is lagging behind in the ODI run-scorers chart, it is just the opposite in T20Is. The India star has put substantial distance between himself and the chasing pack in this format of the Asia Cup. His tally of 429 runs is staggering considering that no one else has scored more than 300 runs.

MORE: Asia Cup 2023: Groups, teams and schedule - India grouped with Pakistan and Nepal

Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan is second with 281 runs and there is a surprise entrant at No 4 on the list, with Hong Kong's Babar Hayat having notched up 235 runs.

 

Player National Team Innings Runs Average Strike Rate
Virat Kohli India 9 429 85.8 132.0
Mohammad Rizwan Pakistan 6 281 56.2 117.6
Rohit Sharma India 9 271 30.1 141.1
Babar Hayat Hong Kong 5 235 47.0 146.9
Ibrahim Zadran Afghanistan 5 196 65.3 104.3

When does the Asia Cup 2023 start?

The Asia Cup starts on Wednesday, August 30. The first fixture sees Pakistan take on Nepal in Multan. India's first match is against Pakistan on September 2.

MORE: How many times has India won the Asia Cup?    

Rahul Iyer

Rahul Iyer Photo

Rahul is a content producer for The Sporting News' India edition.