TOP 5 T20I Innings by Indian Cricketers

14 years have passed since T20s became recognized by the ICC and the format has come a long way from a mere experiment to arguably the format which will pave way for the global expansion of cricket. When the 2007 T20 world cup was announced no one took it seriously especially India which announced a second string squad and a captain with so little experience. But they ended up winning the world cup and Dhoni went from being a respected wicketkeeper to one of the most beloved cricketers in India.

In the early days of T20 cricket, Indian batsmen were considered to be unfit for this format as they relied on timing rather than muscle power. But the heroics of Yuvraj in 2007 T20 World cup such as his 12 balls half century changed the perception completely. Since then we have witnessed many special performances from the Indians and this article will give an account of the top 5 memorable innings by Indians in T20I.

Naturally, while picking top 5 knocks some great performances will miss out. KL Rahul’s century against West Indies, Raina’s century against South Africa and Gambhir’s 75 against Pakistan in 2007 World T20 final are some of the knocks which are on par with any great T20I innings but unfortunately they won’t have a place in this article because of their impact being a tad less compared to other knocks in the article.

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#1 Yuvraj’s 58 off 16 vs ENG, ICC World Twenty20 at Durban, Sep 19, 2007.

In a must-win game for the Indian team, Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat. Gambhir and Sehwag combined for a mammoth opening partnership of 136 and the task of finishing the innings was given to Yuvraj. The manner in which he finished that innings remains unmatched to this day. He started by ducking a bouncer but that moment had no resemblance to the carnage that will follow. He scored two consecutive fours off Flintoff and moved to 14 from 6 balls.

After the end of that over, Flintoff mouthed a few words to Yuvraj probably hoping that it will put him off his concentration but instead he came to know what an angry Yuvraj is capable of doing.

The 1st ball of the next over bowled by Broad was dispatched over cow corner for a 111m monster by a visibly angry Yuvraj. The 2nd ball was nonchalantly flicked over square leg for another maximum. The next ball was brutally murdered over extra cover for the 3rd consecutive six. Broad was stunned by the onslaught and bowled a full toss and we all know the result, 4th six. All the England players surrounded broad and there was a discussion for 2 minutes. But that gap just gave some more energy to Yuvraj as he dismissed the ball from his presence yet again with a slog sweep. The camera zoomed in on Broad’s face and it was clear that he did not have a clue on where to bowl. The crowd started going wild realizing what they are about to witness and Yuvi did not disappoint as he hit a sixth consecutive maximum by lofting the ball over mid-on.

It still remains as the purest form of hitting ever witnessed in a cricket arena and made Yuvi the most feared T20 player in the world.

#2 Yuvraj’s 70 off 30 vs AUS, ICC World Twenty20 at Durban, Sep 22, 2007.

In a crucial encounter against the mighty Aussies, MSD won the toss and opted to bat yet again. But the openers failed this time and Yuvi had to anchor the Indian innings.

Unlike his innings vs England, he did not go after all the balls but kept hitting the balls bowled in his arc for boundaries throughout the innings. He targeted the inexperienced Clark and Symonds and ripped them apart in his own style. He started off by pulling Clark and played a beautiful pickup shot off Lee’s bowling. The highlight of his innings was the 14th over bowled by Clark which went for 21 runs. Yuvi started off with a glorious inside out shot and then took 3 consecutive doubles off the next 3 balls. Clark tried to surprise him with a short ball but it was murdered over midwicket to bring up his 50. He then carved the next ball over point for a boundary and this over completely shifted the momentum in India’s favour. Yuvi’s calculated onslaught led India to the finals of the 2007 WT20.

#3 Rohit’s 118 off 42 vs Srilanka, Sri Lanka tour of India at Indore, Dec 22, 2017.

Even before this match, Srilanka had the reputation of being Rohit’s puppets with some of his best knocks coming against them and Rohit added some more value to that moniker through this knock.

The Lankans did the mistake of putting India into bat on a flat surface with small boundaries. Rohit wasted no time in starting the destruction with two boundaries off the 1st over and then he ripped Pradeep apart with 2 sixes and 1 four but the best was yet to come.

He was cautious against Dhananjaya in the previous over but this time he welcomed him with a brutal whip over midwicket. He then started simply standing in his crease and time all the balls with so much lazy elegance that he made batting look like a child’s play to a spectator. He got to his 50 off 23 balls with a slog over midwicket. In an attempt to stop Rohit from pulling, The Lankan skipper Perera decided to bowl a fuller length in the 11th over. But he just helped Rohit’s cause a bit more as the hitman made optimum use of the extra pace generated by him and dispatched him for 4 consecutive sixes by not even moving an inch from his crease.

He got to the joint-fastest T20 hundred in international cricket in just 11.2 overs and looked like he was on course to become the 1st double centurion in T20 cricket history. But he got out to a slow bouncer from Chameera. Nevertheless, this was an unforgettable display of power and timing from Rohit and will go down as one of the best ever T20 knocks.

#4 Kohli’s 82 off 51 vs AUS, World T20 at Chandigarh, Mar 27 2016.

This match was a knockout game for both the teams and there was a lot of hype surrounding this match with India looking for revenge after their loss to Aussies in 2015 World cup semifinal. Smith won the toss and opted to bat first. Australia set India a decent target of 161 on a slow pitch where the batsmen struggled to time the ball.

Kohli walked out to bat in the 4th over of the chase and further added to his reputation as the best chaser in cricketing history. He started with back to back boundaries off Hazlewood and then kept taking singles and doubles off the good balls. Kohli’s penchant to pick the gaps was visible throughout this incredible knock.

39 was needed off the last 3 overs and finally, Kohli decided to finish things for good. The first ball of the 18th over bowled by Faulkner was dismissed for a boundary with an authoritative pull shot. The second ball was a flawless 4th stump yorker from Faulkner and against any other batsman in the world it would have been a dot ball. But this was Virat Kohli and he played a superlative square drive for another four.

There were deafening chants of “Kohli, Kohli” in the stadium and he gave the crowd a reason to cheer louder as he deposited the 3rd ball of that over long off. But he was not finished yet.

With 20 needed from 2 overs, he faced Coulter-Nile. The 1st ball was a well disguised slower delivery and Kohli was beaten. The next ball was gloriously driven past the point fielder. He followed it up with a pull shot and an unbelievable inside out shot, effectively ending the chase and taking India to semifinals.

In modern day cricket where slogging has become the fashion, this was an innings of pure class from VK and this knock gave a new meaning for the term “ calculated assault”.

#5 Kohli’s 72* off 44 vs SA, World T20 at Dhaka, Apr 4, 2014.

In the 2nd semifinal of the 2014 World cup T20, South Africa set India a target of 173. Until that match, No other team has chased that target in T20I against the Proteas but history was bound to be rewritten.

Rohit got off to a fiery start but was dismissed by Hendricks and this brought VK to the crease. It was the time when he was slowly gaining recognition as the best chaser in the world. He began very cautiously with his first boundary coming only after 16 balls but he kept rotating the strike making sure the run rate was under control. He got to his fifty with a slog-swept six off Tahir in the 16th over.

The equation boiled down to 23 of 18 and Kohli practically ended the chase in the 18th over itself by scoring 2 boundaries off Steyn. The first boundary was all about his wrists as the ball was beautifully flicked to wide long on. The last ball of that over, he went down the track and played a miraculous cut shot over the point fielder. This over sealed the chase for India and got them through to the final.

This was a very special knock from Kohli as the South African bowlers barely bowled a bad ball throughout the chase. It was Kohli’s temperament and his incredible knowledge of the game situation that made the difference in the end.