IND v AUS 2020: India's longest winning streaks in T20I cricket

With their 11-run win over Australia in the 1st T20I at the Manuka Oval in Canberra, the Indian cricket team extended their winning streak in the format to 8. This is their best run in T20I cricket till date.

Afghanistan hold the record for the most consecutive wins in T20I cricket, with 12 (Feb 2018 to Sep 2019). Interestingly, they are also at second place on the list with 11 (Mar 2016 to Mar 2017). However, it must be said that they played the majority of these games against lesser oppositions such as Zimbabwe, Ireland and Bangladesh.

Before their current 8-game winning streak, India won seven T20Is in a row on three separate occasions. In this article, we relive the ongoing run as well as the other three.

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India's current 8-match winning streak

Australia v India - T20 Game 1

After the 1st ODI of a 3-match series against Sri Lanka was washed out, India comfortably won the following two by 7 wickets and 78 runs respectively back in January 2020.

Following this 2-0 series win, the Men in Blue travelled to New Zealand in late January to take part in a 5-match T20I series that wasn't short of entertainment at all.

The first game at Eden Park was a thriller that went to the last ball of the run-chase, with Shreyas Iyer taking India over the line by 6 wickets. The following encounter was more straightforward as India got over the line by wickets with over 2 overs to spare.

The next two games went to Super Overs, and India ended up on the right side of both tight results. Shardul Thakur and Rohit Sharma were the recipients of the Man of the Match award in these two games. The final game of the series was a close 7-run win, with Jasprit Bumrah 3-wicket haul sealing a famous away whitewash for the visitors.

And then of course, the heroics of Ravindra Jadeja and Yuzvendra Chahal gave India a 11-run win in the 1st T20I to help them register their longest winning streak in the format.

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India's 7-match winning streak #1 - Dec 2012 to Apr 2014

India vs Sri Lanka

India kicked off their first 7-match winning streak with a 11-run win over Pakistan in December 2012, and the year 2013 saw them play only one T20I (against Australia), which they won by 6 wickets.

India then set out to win the 2014 T20 World Cup (then known as the World T20). Although they made an unbeaten run to the final by beating Pakistan (7 wickets), West Indies (7 wickets), Bangladesh (8 wickets), Australia (73 runs) and South Africa (6 wickets), they fell at the final hurdle to Sri Lanka.

The island nation won the tournament and provided the perfect T20I farewell for Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

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India's 7-match winning streak #2 - Feb 2016 to Mar 2016

Virat Kohli

India came back from 1-0 down in a 3-match series against Sri Lanka to begin their winning run in 2016. They clinched the series 2-1 thanks to convincing wins (69 runs and 9 wickets), before heading on to the 2016 Asia Cup.

The edition of the Asia Cup was held in the T20 format, and India won the trophy with ease. MS Dhoni's men brushed aside Bangladesh (45 runs), Pakistan (5 wickets), Sri Lanka (5 wickets), UAE (9 wickets) and Bangladesh (8 wickets) to clinch the crown.

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India's 7-match winning streak #3 - Mar 2018 to July 2018

Dinesh Karthik

After losing the first game of the Nidahas Trophy to Sri Lanka, India roared back in spectacular fashion to clinch the crown. Their wins in the competition came against Bangladesh (6 wickets), Sri Lanka (6 wickets) and Bangladesh (17 runs) to take them into the final. Up against the Tigers once again, Dinesh Karthik's incredible finishing act snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by 4 wickets.

India then blanked Ireland in a 2-match series (76 runs and 143 runs), before winning the first T20I of a 3-match series away at England by 8 wickets. Although they lost the next game by 5 wickets to halt their streak, India won the decider by 7 wickets to clinch the series 2-1.