Reliving the 5 greatest Indian T20 Innings of all time

When T20 cricket started off in 2003 in England, many perceived it to be a format which would be played solely as a stress-buster, to relieve the stress of tests and ODIs. However, 14 years down the line, the T20 format has become the biggest money-spinner in the game of cricket.

India played its first T20 against South Africa, which resulted in a loss. When the World T20 came around in 2007, after the 50-over World Cup debacle, many of India’s high-profile names decided to give it a miss and give the youngsters a chance to represent India on the biggest stage.

Defying all the odds, India won the inaugural World T20 under the stewardship of MS Dhoni. A year later, the IPL was born and things have never looked back since. The IPL has become the biggest cricketing extravaganza on the calendar, with all the top players and coaches enrolling their name each year.

T20 cricket has become an indispensable part of Indian cricket lovers’ lives. The prospect of just spending three hours at a cricket ground, experiencing heart-stopping pieces of action has been too irresistible. Thus, it is only fitting that we take a look at the greatest innings played by Indians in cricket’s shortest format.

The innings considered are those that have been played in crunch situations, displaying extraordinary batting prowess.

Without wasting any more time, let us look at those innings which made the whole country fall in love with T20 cricket.

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#5 Yuvraj Singh 58 vs England at Durban, 2007

Yuvraj hit the ball to all parts

India had lost the first game of the Super Eight phase to New Zealand. Anything other than victory would have condemned India to an early exit in the Rainbow nation.

India started off well with Gambhir and Sehwag putting on 136 for the first wicket. India started stumbling a little after their stand was broken and the score read 155-3 in 16.4 overs when Yuvraj walked in.

Yuvraj smashed the fastest T20 fifty on his way to a breath-taking 58 off 16 balls. However, that wasn’t the only record he shattered on the day. He carved Stuart Broad for 6 sixes in the 19th over to become the first man to achieve the feat in T20s.

Yuvraj was simply unstoppable on the day. He showed immense courage and mettle to come up with such a blistering inning in a crunch game.

For the clean hitting he produced and for the significance of his inning, it ranks as the 5th greatest Indian T20 inning of all time.

#4 Virat Kohli 72* vs South Africa at Dhaka, 2014

Kohli was brilliant with his running between the wickets

After their exploits in 2007, India failed to reach a World T20 semi-final till 2014. In the 2014 edition, they were up against the formidable Proteas in the semi-final.

Having been set a target of 173, India raced off the blocks and reached 39 in 3.4 overs before Rohit Sharma perished. Kohli walked into the cauldron of pressure and won the match single-handedly courtesy a spectacular 72* off 44 balls.

Kohli was batting on another level in Dhaka that day. The most jaw-dropping aspect of his batting was the way he manipulated the field to play risk-free cricket. Of the 72 runs, only 32 came in boundaries. He ran hard between the wickets and hit boundaries when an opportunity presented itself.

The brilliance displayed by Kohli on the day was unparalleled. Like many a time before, he had walked into a pressure situation and relieved it with his batting. The dexterity of his innings and the mental toughness to pull off such an innings in a semi-final gets it the No.4 spot.

#3 Gautam Gambhir 75 vs Pakistan at Johannesburg, 2007

Gambhir played an innings of character on the day of the final

India weren’t expected to make a huge splash at the ICC World T20 in 2007. It was Dhoni’s first assignment as captain and all the big guns had their feet up at home. The team comprised of limited overs specialists and players who had been on the fringes of the team. One such individual was Gautam Gambhir.

Gambhir had a decent tournament leading up to the final and looked in good touch against England and Australia. However, he saved his best for the end and came up with a gritty inning that laid the foundation for India’s first and only World T20 triumph.

The southpaw from Delhi scored 75 off 54 balls and propelled India to a competitive score of 157-5. Riding on Irfan Pathan’s magical spell, India edged out Pakistan by 5 runs.

While Pathan was awarded the man of the match for his spell, Gambhir was equally worthy of it. The innings of Gambhir of the final is one of the most underrated innings in Indian cricket.

It is not easy to keep scoring at a good clip when wickets are falling around you. Gambhir did so perfectly, scoring at a strike rate of 138.88. The fact that he came up with such a big inning on the day of the final gets it into the Top 3 of our list.

#2 Virat Kohli 82* vs Australia at Mohali, 2016

Kohli sensationally destroyed Australia

India hosted the 2016 edition of the ICC World T20 and were overwhelming favourites to go all the way. However, a defeat to New Zealand in their first game threw a spanner in the works. By the time their Aussie test came up, they were faced with a must-win situation.

Australia set India a target of 161 on a slightly sluggish Mohali wicket. Australia started well and contained India to 37-2 in the Powerplay. However, that was the only bit of joy the Aussies received that day.

Kohli came and conquered the Aussie attack en route to a marvellous 82* off 51 balls. Kohli struck 9 fours and 2 sixes in his excellent display of skill and determination. Just like he did against the Proteas a couple of years ago, he again relied on running between the wickets to throw the Australian bowling and fielding out of gear.

Kohli was simply magnificent on the day and came up with a performance when the team needed him most. His inning of 82 gets the No.2 slot for the sheer brilliance exhibited by the best batsman in the world.

#1 Yuvraj Singh 70 vs Australia at Durban, 2007

Yuvraj watches the ball sail into the crowd

India entered the semi-final of the inaugural World T20 on the back of an astonishing display against the hosts, South Africa. Things were not getting any easier though, as they faced the herculean task of beating Australia in the semi-final.

India did not get off to the best start and were reduced to 41-2 in 8 overs. Yuvraj, who had missed the South Africa game after his exploits against England, walked out to the centre with a billion eyeballs trained on him.

He didn’t disappoint and made a swashbuckling 70 off 30 balls against the best team on the planet. His innings was laced with 5 hits to the fence and 5 gigantic sixes, of which one was a 119m hit off Brett Lee.

Yuvraj delivered when it mattered most and powered India to the final. Many thought that Yuvraj couldn’t come up with an innings to better his effort against England. However, those who saw his innings in the semi-final would savour memories of a truly mind-boggling inning. An innings that could qualify as one of the most impactful in recent memories.

The audacity to pull off such an innings at such a crucial juncture helps Yuvraj top the list of the greatest Indian T20 innings of all time.