Since winning their first T20 World Cup, India hasn’t had great results in the tournament. Even though their batsmen have usually performed well, India’s best finish was reaching the final in 2014, where they lost to Sri Lanka. Many experts believe the game has changed, but India has stuck to their traditional methods.
In the 2021 T20 World Cup, India lost to Pakistan and New Zealand. Despite winning three matches, these losses ended India’s chances of reaching the semi-finals. As they prepare for the next T20 World Cup, India will need to learn from the past and focus on the positives.
Here are the top five Indian batsmen who scored the most runs in a single edition of the T20 World Cup.
1. Virat Kohli
In 2014, Virat Kohli played exceptionally well in the T20 World Cup. He led the Indian team to the finals, scoring lots of runs and performing at his best. Even though India didn’t win the finals, Kohli was named the best player of the tournament.
During the 2014 T20 World Cup, Kohli scored a total of 319 runs, which is the highest ever by an Indian batsman in a single edition of the tournament. He achieved this with four half-centuries, including his highest score of 77. His average score per innings was an impressive 106.33.
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2. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli was in great form for India during the T20 World Cup 2021. He scored 273 runs in 5 matches, averaging 136.50. Kohli made three half-centuries in the tournament and was named the best player despite India not making it to the finals.
Kohli played a crucial role in India reaching the semi-finals and almost led them to the finals with his outstanding batting. It’s disappointing that Kohli ended his T20 international captaincy without winning an ICC trophy.
3. Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir played a crucial role for India in the T20 World Cup 2007. He scored 227 runs in seven matches with an average of 37.83. His highest score was 75 in the finals, where he helped India reach a total of more than 150 runs.
During the tournament, Gambhir scored three half-centuries and ended as the second-highest run-scorer after Matthew Hayden. His performances were instrumental in India’s victory over Pakistan in the 2007 T20 World Cup finals.
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4. Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina was an important middle-order batsman in T20 World Cups. He was the first Indian to score a century in T20 international cricket. In the 2010 tournament in the West Indies, he played exceptionally well, scoring 101 runs against South Africa.
During that tournament, Raina scored a total of 219 runs batting at number three. He had an average of 43.80 and a strike rate of 156. He also scored a half-century in addition to his century. His total of 219 runs is the fourth highest for India in a single T20 World Cup edition.
5. KL Rahul
KL Rahul didn’t perform well overall in the 2021 T20 World Cups, but he scored 194 runs in five matches. He got out early against New Zealand and Pakistan, which hurt his team’s chances of reaching the semi-finals.
However, he bounced back with three fifty-plus scores in the following matches. He also scored a half-century off just 18 balls, the second-fastest for his country in T20 World Cup history. Throughout the tournament, Rahul showed graceful and stylish batting skills.
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