5 Players who have a better T20I batting average than both Virat Kohli and Babar Azam

Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are often talked about in the discussions of the best batsman in the T20I format. The duo is known for their consistency with the bat and ability to score runs without any unorthodox shots.

The averages of 50.8 and 50.72 by Virat and Babar respectively are the highest in T20I cricket among the players who have scored over 500 runs. However, without any qualifications, there are quite a few players who have a higher batting average than both these star Asian batsmen.

Here we look at all the non-active players who have a T20I batting average more than both Virat Kohli and Babar:

(Note: Justin Kemp has a T20I batting average of 50.75 which is higher than Babar’s 50.72 but lower than Kohli’s 50.8. Hence, he is not included in this list.)

5. Hiren Varaiya – 51.00

Hiren Varaiya, born in Mumbai, represented Kenya national team between 2006 and 2018 across all formats. The left-arm spinner had quite brilliant numbers in any given format but wasn’t known for his batting. He featured in 25 T20Is for Kenya where he picked 18 wickets at an economy rate of 5.96.

Only Daniel Vettori (5.70) bowled more balls in Men’s T20I cricket at a better economy than Varaiya. The Mumbai-born got to bat in 12 innings where he aggregated 51 runs at an average of 51.

Hiren Varaiya remained unbeaten in 11 of the 12 innings he batted across his 25-match T20I career. The only time he was dismissed in this format was in his last T20I appearance where he scored only two runs. In his penultimate match, he scored an unbeaten 18; his only double-digit score in T20Is. Varaiya remained unbeaten in each of his first 11 T20I innings which is the longest streak without being dismissed for any player in Men’s T20Is.