The Indian cricketing ecosystem was recovering from an underwhelming performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 when a young Indian team, led by a new captain in MS Dhoni, took centrestage in South Africa.
Australia, the World Champions from earlier in the year, South Africa, West Indies and New Zealand were among the teams touted as favourites to win the inaugural ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title.
India at the T20 World Cup: Title-winning 2007 campaign
India’s first game in the tournament was abandoned, but the famous game at Durban against arch-rivals Pakistan kicked off the Men in Blue’s journey. While the game ended in a draw, India won a historic bowl out 3-0.
The first game in the Super 8 didn’t go the Indian cricket team’s way. However, India fought back with wins against England and South Africa to make the semi-final. Yuvraj Singh, meanwhile, made history and became the first Indian batter to score six sixes in an over at this level.
The favourites, Australia, were knocked out by the Indian team after an engrossing semi-final at Durban to set up one the most-awaited clashes of the tournament – India vs Pakistan, T20 World Cup final. Masterminded by MS Dhoni, India lifted the title by beating their arch-rivals to create history.
India at the T20 World Cup: 2009-2021
The success in 2007 is India’s only ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title across the seven editions. The Men in Blue came close to winning the tournament once again in the 2014 edition in Bangladesh. India had been dominant throughout the tournament, winning all five matches heading into the final. However, they met a Kumar Sangakkara-sized wall and lost in the final to finish as the runners-up.
In the 2009 edition in England, India cruised through the group stage. All three Super 8 matches ended with a defeat as India got knocked out of the tournament. The Men in Blue suffered a similar fate in the 2010 edition in West Indies, suffering elimination in the Super 8s.
After a successful group stage campaign, India suffered a heavy defeat against Australia in the Super 8s in the 2012 edition in Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue beat Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the following games but were unable to make the semi-final due to an inferior net run rate.
India hosted their first-ever ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2016. Following a heavy defeat to New Zealand in the tournament opener, the Indian cricket team bounced back with wins against Pakistan and Bangladesh. Virat Kohli inspired the Men in Blue in the final Super 10 game against Australia, helping the team chase down a tricky target to make the semi-final. The might of the West Indian batters proved to be India’s undoing at the Wankhede Stadium as the title charge ended with a semi-final defeat.
The 2021 edition was a reality check for India’s T20I gameplan as the Men in Blue lost their opening game against arch-rivals Pakistan, followed by yet another disappointment at the hands of New Zealand. Despite the dominant performances against Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia, India crashed out of the tournament.
India at the T20 World Cup: Top Individual Performances
Rohit Sharma has played all the editions of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for India, scoring 847 runs, making him the top run-getter for the Indian team in this tournament. Former Indian captain, Virat Kohli is only two runs behind Rohit Sharma on the list and finished as India’s top run-getter in three editions on the bounce – 2012, 2014 and 2016.
Topping the wicket-taking charts is Ravichandran Ashwin with 26 wickets in the tournament. Ashwin’s spell of 4/11 against Australia in 2014 is also the best bowling figures by an Indian bowler in the tournament. Ravindra Jadeja, who is ruled out of the 2022 edition, is second on the list with 21 wickets.
Meanwhile, Suresh Raina is the only Indian batter to have scored a century in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Raina smashed 101 runs off 60 balls in a whirlwind knock against South Africa in the 2010 edition of the tournament.
India at the T20 World Cup: Results and records
|
T20 World Cup |
India’s result |
Top run-scorer |
Top wicket-taker |
|
2007 |
Champions |
Gautam Gambhir |
RP Singh |
|
2009 |
Super 8s |
Yuvraj Singh |
Zaheer Khan |
|
2010 |
Super 8s |
Suresh Raina |
Ashish Nehra |
|
2012 |
Super 8s |
Virat Kohli |
Yuvraj Singh |
|
2014 |
Runners-up |
Virat Kohli |
Ravichandran Ashwin |
|
2016 |
Semi-finalists |
Virat Kohli |
Ashish Nehra |
|
2021 |
Group stage |
KL Rahul |
Jasprit Bumrah |