2024 is coming to a close with the India vs Australia 4th Test ending in Melbourne on December 30. Test cricket is done and dusted for the year. It was one of the most exciting years in red-ball cricket’s 147-year history. India and South Africa played the shortest Test match in history in Cape Town; James Anderson, Ravichandran Ashwin, and David Warner retired; Yashasvi Jaiswal leveled the record for most sixes hit in a match; Jasprit Bumrah became the only man to have 200 wickets at an average of less than 20; and many such feats. In an era dominated by bowlers, a few batters did exceptionally well. These were:
Top 3 Test run-scorers of 2024
Joe Root
Former England captain Joe Root was once again the top-scorer in a calendar year. The best batter in the world raked in a whopping 1556 runs at 55.57 in 17 matches. He has the most runs and centuries among active Test cricketers and is fifth on both lists of all time.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal broke the record for most Test runs for an Indian opener in a calendar year. He hit two double centuries and scored an away hundred in Australia. The southpaw was his country’s highest run-getter of the year by some distance and easily among the first names on any Test XI for 2024.
Ben Duckett
Many thought Ben Duckett‘s 2023 performance was a fluke. But the diminutive batter was the only opener, barring Jaiswal, to score for 700 runs. His average wasn’t that great, but his impact was huge. More often than not, he gave England a rollicking start.
Top 10 batters with most Test runs in 2024
| Batter | Country | Matches | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s | Highest Score |
| Joe Root | England | 17 | 1556 | 55.57 | 6 | 5 | 262 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | India | 15 | 1478 | 54.74 | 3 | 9 | 214 |
| Ben Duckett | England | 17 | 1149 | 37.06 | 2 | 6 | 153 |
| Harry Brook | England | 12 | 1100 | 55.00 | 4 | 3 | 317 |
| Kamindu Mendis | Sri Lanka | 9 | 1049 | 74.92 | 5 | 3 | 182* |
| Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 9 | 1013 | 59.58 | 4 | 4 | 156 |
| Ollie Pope | England | 17 | 994 | 33.13 | 3 | 4 | 196 |
| Rachin Ravindra | New Zealand | 12 | 984 | 42.78 | 2 | 4 | 240 |
| Shubman Gill | India | 12 | 866 | 43.30 | 3 | 3 | 119* |
| Dinesh Chandimal | Sri Lanka | 10 | 724 | 42.58 | 2 | 5 | 116 |
Most Test runs for India in 2024
2024 wasn’t the best year for Indian batters. Jaiswal was one of the world’s best batters, but after that, the list thinned down quite a bit. Shubman Gill was the only other batter on the list to average over 40, while Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja averaged under 30 despite playing at least 12 matches. Rishabh Pant played just 9 matches and still made the list.
Top 5 Indian batters with most Test runs in 2024
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s | Highest Score |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 15 | 1478 | 54.74 | 3 | 9 | 214 |
| Shubman Gill | 12 | 866 | 43.30 | 3 | 3 | 119* |
| Rohit Sharma | 14 | 619 | 24.76 | 2 | 2 | 131 |
| Rishabh Pant | 9 | 576 | 36.00 | 1 | 3 | 109 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 12 | 527 | 29.27 | 1 | 3 | 112 |
