Bowling has been a cornerstone of India’s achievements in T20 World Cups. From their victorious campaign in 2007 to their impressive runner-up finish in 2014, and notable semifinal showings in 2016 and 2022, it is the bowlers who have frequently delivered the most memorable performances for Team India in these prestigious tournaments.
Here are five standout individual performances by Indian bowlers in T20 World Cups matches
5. Zaheer Khan – 4/19 vs Ireland, 2009 T20 World Cup
Zaheer Khan destroyed Ireland’s top batsmen early in their match at the 2009 T20 World Cup in Nottingham. He quickly took three wickets in his first few overs and later ended with impressive figures of 4-19. Khan’s performance earned him the ‘Player of the Match’ award and helped India win by eight wickets, securing them the top position in Group A.
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4. RP Singh – 4/13 vs South Africa, 2007 T20 World Cup
In a crucial match of the 2007 T20 World Cup, Indian fast bowler RP Singh led his team to victory, knocking out host team South Africa. India had to defend a modest score of 154 runs against South Africa’s strong batting lineup. The 21-year-old RP Singh bowled brilliantly, dismissing experienced players Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith early on. He also took the wickets of Shaun Pollock and Albie Morkel, ending with impressive figures of 4-13. Thanks to his performance, India advanced to the semifinals.
3. Harbhajan Singh – 4/12 vs England, 2012 T20 World Cup
In 2012, during a T20 World Cup match in Colombo, Harbhajan Singh, who was part of India’s 2007 T20 World Cups winning team, played a crucial role in India’s victory against England. With his best T20I bowling figures of 4-12, he dismantled England’s batting line-up. After Irfan Pathan, Lakshmipathy Balaji, and Ashok Dinda had bowled, Harbhajan took over and dismissed key players Eoin Morgan, Tim Bresnan, Jos Buttler, and Graeme Swann.
Harbhajan’s impressive performance, along with Piyush Chawla’s timely wickets and an explosive 55* from Rohit Sharma, helped India defeat the defending champions by 90 runs.
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2. Ravichandran Ashwin – 4/11 vs Australia, 2014 T20 World Cup
In the 2014 T20 World Cup game against Australia, Team India scored 159-7. Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin then led the team to a stunning victory by dismantling Australia’s middle and top order.
In his very first over, Ashwin got Aaron Finch out when Australia was at 13-1. His skillful bowling then took out key players David Warner and Glenn Maxwell, and he finished his performance by dismissing James Muirhead, ending with impressive figures of 4-11.
1. Arshdeep Singh – 4/9 vs USA, 2024 T20 World Cup
Arshdeep Singh achieved India’s best bowling record in a T20 World Cup match by taking four wickets against the USA in the 2024 tournament.
Playing at Nassau County Stadium in New York, he made an impressive start by taking two wickets in his first over, dismissing USA opener Shayan Jahangir and number three Andries Gous.
Arshdeep then took two more wickets, dismantling the lower order, and gave away only nine runs in his four overs. His excellent performance, along with support from other bowlers, limited the tournament co-hosts to 110-8.
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