Which players have the most runs and wickets in India-England ODIs?

With England's one-dayers in India coming up, I wondered who had the most runs and wickets overall in matches between the two countries? My guesses are Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh! asked Mafat Lal from India
The top five run-scorers in England-India one-day internationals are all Indians - but, surprisingly perhaps, Sachin Tendulkar lies only third on the list with 1455, behind Yuvraj Singh (1523) and the leader Mahendra Singh Dhoni (1546). Before the current series, Virat Kohli had 1178 runs, and was set to overtake Suresh Raina (1207). The leading Englishman is Ian Bell, with 1163, just ahead of Kevin Pietersen (1138). Two more Indians, Rahul Dravid (1012) and Virender Sehwag (1008) made it into four figures.

As for the bowlers, James Anderson leads the way with 40 wickets in England-India ODIs, three ahead of Andrew Flintoff and Ravindra Jadeja; next comes Harbhajan Singh with 36, one more than R Ashwin and Javagal Srinath.

I noticed Jofra Archer batted for the first time in his 11th T20I the other day. Has anyone else played so many without needing to bat? asked Michael Templeton from England
Jofra Archer was not required to bat in his first ten T20I, before finally going in during the fourth match of England's current series against India in Ahmedabad.

He was the sixth man who did not bat in his first ten T20Is. Of the others, Mohammed Shami has now played 12, and has still not made it to the crease, while another India seamer, Jaydev Unadkat, is stuck on ten (he also played seven one-day internationals without having to bat). Ben Shikongo of Namibia finally had to bat in his 11th match - he was out first ball, and he hasn't played another one since. South Africa's Wayne Parnell did not bat until his 11th match either, but now has a fairly respectable average of 28.50, helped by a few not-outs.

But the leader in this list is Fareed Ahmad of Afghanistan, who did not bat in his first 13 T20Is, before making 24 not out in his 14th. He's played two more since, in their current series against Zimbabwe, and hasn't batted in those either.

Which captain lost the toss but went on to win the match most often? asked Jeet Banerjee from England
In Tests there's a tie between Ricky Ponting of Australia and South Africa's Graeme Smith, who both won 23 matches after losing the toss. MS Dhoni and Steve Waugh come next with 18, then Stephen Fleming and Viv Richards with 17.

Ponting also leads the way in one-day internationals, winning 75 after losing the toss; Dhoni is next with 53, ahead of Fleming (51), Hansie Cronje (49), Allan Border and Graeme Smith (48) and Arjuna Ranatunga (45). The T20 specialist is a bit of a surprise: Afghanistan's Asghar Afghan has won 25 matches after losing the toss, two more than Dhoni, with Eoin Morgan next on 16. In all three formats Ponting leads the way with exactly 100 wins after losing the toss, with Dhoni on 94 and Smith 79.

India and England have just played a rare five-match T20 series. Who has scored the most runs in one T20 series? asked Ghulam Dhanpade from India
The leader in any T20I tournament is Virat Kohli, who scored 319 runs in the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2013-14. He inched past Tillakaratne Dilshan of Sri Lanka, who made 317 in the T20 World Cup in England in 2009. Next come Australia's Aaron Finch, with 306 runs in a tri-series in Zimbabwe in 2018, and Mahela Jayawardene of Sri Lanka, who made 302 in the T20 World Cup in the West Indies in 2010.

The most in a bilateral series is 233, by Mozambique's Damiao Couana, in a seven-match rubber against Malawi in 2019-20. Colin Munro thrashed 223 in just three games at home to West Indies in 2017-18 (he scored 53, 66 and 104).

Apart from the current series in India and the seven-match one in Malawi mentioned above, there have been just five other bilateral series of T20Is containing five matches, only three of them involving Test-playing nations: Malaysia vs Vanuatu, New Zealand vs England, New Zealand vs India and Hong Kong vs Malaysia in 2019-20, and New Zealand vs Australia in 2020-21.

Who has made a T20I hundred from lowest in the batting order? asked Kristoff Alkemade from the Netherlands
There have now been 58 centuries in men's T20Is. Of these, 38 have been made by openers, ten by the No. 3, and six from No. 4. Three No. 5s have reached three figures: David Miller for South Africa against Bangladesh in Potchefstroom in 2017-18, Sivakumar Periyalwar for Romania vs Turkey in Ilfov in August 2019, and Sudesh Wickramasekara for the Czech Republic against Turkey the following day, also in Ilfov.

That leaves a lone century from No. 6 in the batting order in T20Is. It came from Belgium's captain Shaheryar Butt, who came in with his side 41 for 4 after eight overs, and blasted an unbeaten 125 from 50 balls - with nine sixes and 11 fours - against the Czech Republic in Walferdange, Luxembourg, in August 2020.

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