India is a side that has regularly proved its sheer dominance over the shorter formats of cricket over the last decade. The team has delivered quality performances on a regular basis and has shown great consistency to prove their worth on several big stages, especially in the T20Is.
The team is blessed with some incredibly talented players who’ve strengthened each department of the team and helped it achieve numerous heights over the years. Right since the introduction of the T20I World cup in 2007, the Indian team has provided its fans with several unforgettable memories on the cricket pitch winning numerous incredible matches from the jaws of defeat.
In this article, we shall be taking a look at three of India’s most famous wins in T20I history while chasing a total. Navigate to the next page to see the details:
India Vs Sri Lanka (2nd T20I 2009)
One of India’s most memorable chases in a t20I game came back in the bilateral series against Sri Lanka in Mohali. Sri Lanka after winning the toss and electing to bad first lost Dilshan early for 1. However, Jayasuriya along with Kumar Sangakkara in at no.3 started taking the bowlers to the cleaners and stitched on a fine 81-run partnership off just 38 balls.
Sangakkara brought up a fine half-century and finished on 59 off 31 balls. Yuvraj Singh choked Sri Lanka by picking up three wickets however that didn’t stop the Lankas from putting on a massive 207 runs target on the board. Angelo Mathews played a quick-fire cameo of 26 off 13 balls to help his team’s cause.
India got off to a steady start in their chase. The opening duo posted 58 inside the Powerplay before Gambhir was sent back for 21. Dhoni then joined Sehwag and the duo started counterattacking the Bowlers brilliantly. Sehwag brought up a sublime 50 and went back for 64.
Dhoni was then joined by Yuvraj and the duo started making things even tougher for Sri Lanka as they piled on runs for fun. Dhoni was dismissed for a fantastic 46 but Yuvraj stayed till the end until he saw India through to the target.
The left-hander scored an incredible 60 off just 25 balls and was awarded the man of the match for his fantastic all-round performance.
India Vs West Indies (1st T20I 2019)
Another memorable run chase achieved by India was against West Indies in December of 2019. West Indies after being asked to bat by India displayed their traditional style of fearless big hitting right from the start. Despite losing Simmons early, Evin Lewis along with Brandon King didn’t let the momentum go down as they kept finding the fence often.
The spin attack did the job for India as both the batters were sent back before things could get too sour for India. However, the other batters seemed to be set right from the dressing room as they played big shots without paying any heed to the situation.
Shimron Hetmyer new to the crease along with Kieron Pollard started taking on the bowlers as he smashed them to all corners of the ground. The duo added a fine 70 runs inside 7 overs. Some wonderful finishing touches from Jason Holder saw West Indies post a mammoth total of 207 on the board. India in response to the total lost Rohit Sharma early. Virat who joined Rahul started to steer the innings slowly.
However, the required run rate never stopped rising higher and the pressure was still on the Indian team. Rahul who was managing to find the big shots fell prey to the rising required rate and was dismissed for a fine 62 off 40 balls. It was the. Virat Kohli took matters into his own hand and miraculously started counter-attacking the bowlers and hitting them for sixes and fours in all directions.
The match will be remembered for a dramatic exchange of pleasantries between Kesrick Williams and Virat Kohli with the former being mocked by Virat Kohli who copied his notebook style of celebration after hitting him for sixes and fours. India won the match handsomely by 6 wickets and Kohli was awarded the man of the match for his fantastic 94* off just 50 balls.
India Vs England (3rd T20I, July 2018)
India’s possibly most brilliant performance in a run chase in T20Is came against England in the decider match of the three-match T20I series. England who was asked to bat first by India got off to a fine start as both Jason Roy and Buttler didn’t spare the bowlers and smacked them to all parts of the ground.
Even after the fall of the opening duo, the other batsman didn’t let the momentum shift away as they continued to find the boundaries and big shots regularly. England finished at 198 in their 20 overs. India started off the chase in fine fashion with Rohit Sharma finding the boundaries at the start quite perfectly.
Shikhar Dhawan who departed early was replaced by Rahul who played fearless strokes but ended up losing his wicket in the process. Rohit was then joined by Kohli and the duo elevated India’s position and put them in the driver’s seat with a fantastic 89-run partnership.
By the time Virat was dismissed it was all India’s game. Hardik Pandya was the last man who had put his pads on as his partnership with Rohit was good enough for India to stroll to a comfortable win. Rohit who smashed an unbeaten ton off just 56 balls was adjudged the man of the match and also the man of the series.
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