India have become the first team in history to hit 400 sixes in T20 internationals in a single calendar year, reaching the landmark during the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand at Seddon Park, Hamilton, on Sunday, November 1.
India needed 11 sixes in the match to reach 400, and got exactly that many in their innings. The 400th six came from Naman Dhir, whose top-edged shot in the 19th over sailed over fine leg and into the stands. It took India to 400 sixes in 40 T20Is in 2026 — an average of 10 sixes per match.
A record no team had reached before
The previous record belonged to Austria, who hit 326 sixes in 36 T20Is in 2025. Before that, the best mark by a full-member nation was India’s own 289 sixes in 40 matches in 2022. India have now gone well past both figures, and no other team has come close in 2026.
Most sixes by a team in a T20I calendar year:
- India — 400 sixes in 40 matches (2026)
- Austria — 326 sixes in 36 matches (2025)
- India — 289 sixes in 40 matches (2022)
Who hit them
Abhishek Sharma has led India’s six-hitting in 2026 with 86 sixes, followed by Ishan Kishan with 60 and Sanju Samson with 50. Together, the three account for nearly half of India’s 400.
New Zealand have felt the damage more than any other side: 142 of India’s 400 sixes this year have come against the Black Caps, reported as the most sixes by a team against a single opposition in a calendar year.
Why it matters — and what it does not prove
The record underlines how completely India’s batting approach in T20 cricket has changed. In 2022, the same number of matches produced 289 sixes, about 7.2 per game; in 2026 the rate is 10 per game. That is a deliberate, team-wide shift towards attacking from the first over, not one batter’s hot streak.
It is also worth stating plainly what the record is not: India lost the Hamilton finale despite reaching the milestone. A batting record, however historic, does not by itself win a match, and the series context matters more than any single tally.
What comes next
Attention now turns to the ODI series between the sides, starting November 4 at Eden Park, Auckland — a series for which New Zealand have already had to revise their squad, with Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman ruled out. Read our coverage of that squad change here: Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman Ruled Out of New Zealand’s ODI Series vs India. The Hamilton finale followed a fourth T20I in which Glenn Phillips’ century powered New Zealand to a big win: Glenn Phillips Smashes 107 as New Zealand Beat India by 87 Runs in Fourth T20I at Eden Park.
Frequently asked questions
When did India reach 400 sixes? During the fifth T20I against New Zealand at Seddon Park, Hamilton, on November 1, 2026, when Naman Dhir hit the 400th six in the 19th over.
Who has hit the most sixes for India in 2026? Abhishek Sharma with 86, followed by Ishan Kishan with 60 and Sanju Samson with 50.
What was the previous record? Austria’s 326 sixes in 36 matches in 2025; India’s previous best as a full-member side was 289 in 2022.
Sources
- NDTV Sports — India Create T20I History, Become First Team To Smash 400 Sixes In A Year
- The Tribune (ANI) — India becomes first team to reach 400 T20I sixes in a calendar year
- News9 Live — India script history, become first team to smash 400 sixes in a calendar year in T20Is
- ABP Live — 400 Sixes! India Create History With Most T20I Maximums Smashed In A Calendar Year
Note on the match result: this article deliberately does not state the Hamilton match margin, because sources in the news queue conflict on it (a 7-wicket win versus a 4-run win). The milestone itself — 400 sixes, 11 in the match, Dhir’s 400th — is consistent across all sources above.
