Virat Kohli is arguably one of the greatest batters of all time, certainly in modern-day cricket. He also has a surreal record in the T20 Asia Cup. The Delhi batter played the 2016 and 2022 editions of the tournament. In both editions, he had topped the run-scoring charts for the Men in Blue.
The 36-year-old announced his retirement from T20I cricket in June 2024, a shocking decision which came right after he had helped India win the T20 World Cup, his only ICC trophy in the shortest format of the game.
Despite the retirement, Kohli had a stellar season in the Indian Premier League this year, helping Royal Challengers Bengaluru win their maiden title.
Here's a look at some T20 Asia Cup records Kohli would have been able to break had he played the ongoing edition of the tournament.
Virat Kohli’s missed records in Asia Cup 2025 due to T20I retirement
Most 50-plus scores in T20 Asia Cups
Virat Kohli had the joint-most number of half-centuries (3) in T20 Asia Cups heading into the tournament. He was tied with Pakistan's ODI captain Mohammad Rizwan. However, Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka has gone past Kohli's tally after scoring half-centuries in his team's first two matches in Asia Cup 2025.
Nissanka registered scores of 50 (34) and 68 (44) in the matches against Bangladesh and Hong Kong, respectively. He now has four half-centuries in T20 Asia Cups. The New Delhi-born would have had a great chance to hold the record of the most fifties in the tournament had he been a part of the 15-member squad for the Suryakumar Yadav-led side.
Most sixes in T20 Asia Cups
There are players like Nicholas Pooran and Andre Russell, who like to hit more sixes than fours while batting. However, Kohli is different in this regard, as he looks to find the gaps on the field by playing conventional shots, helping the team score runs while keeping the strike rotation in mind.
Still, Kohli has 11 sixes to his name from nine innings in T20 Asia Cups. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who is representing Afghanistan, holds the record for hitting the most sixes in the T20 version of this iconic tournament (15). Had Kohli played this year, he would have given Gurbaz a run for his money in terms of being at the top of the six-hitters' list.
Most runs in a single edition
Mohammad Rizwan currently holds the record for the most runs scored by a batter in a single edition of the T20 Asia Cup. In the previous edition, which came in 2022, the wicketkeeper-batter amassed 281 runs in six innings at an average of 56.20 and a strike rate of 117.57.
In the same edition, Kohli fell five runs short of equalling Rizwan's tally. In five innings, the former India captain scored 276 runs, averaging a mind-boggling 92.00 at a strike rate of 147.59. Kohli could have broken the Pakistan cricketer's record had he played in the latest instalment of the prestigious event, which is being played in the United Arab Emirates.
