It has been a roller-coaster ride for Team India at the T20 World Cups. The triumph at the 2007 World T20 remains one of the finest hours in their cricket history.
It has been more than 15 years since India scripted that famous victory under the leadership of a young MS Dhoni. Since then, despite numerous attempts at the title, the trophy has remained elusive.
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While Team India came close on a couple of occasions, they haven’t been able to go all the way. Last year was forgettable as Virat Kohli-led India crashed out of the group stage itself. As has ben the case, this year too India remain one of the strongest contenders to win the tournament Down Under.
They will begin their campaign against Pakistan on October 23.
Let us go down the memory lane and take a look at India’s performance at the T20 World Cups over the years.
2007 (Champions): MS Dhoni and co scripted history when they won the inaugural World T20 in 2007. India registered impressive wins against strong sides like Australia and Pakistan. In a must-win match against England, Yuvraj Singh smashed six sixes in one over off the bowling of Stuart Broad. Dhoni cemented his reputation as the man with the Midas Touch in this tournament. Captain Cool showed nerves of steel in the high-stakes final as well throwing the ball to the unfancied Joginder Sharma for what turned into an epic final over. The thrilling last-over win against arch-rivals Pakistan remains etched in every Indian cricket fan’s memory.
2009 (Super 8): Defending champions India had a disastrous outing in the second edition of the tourney. They were knocked out of the tournament after losing three matches in a row against West Indies, England, and South Africa in the Super 8 stage itself.
2010 (Super 8): India started off well in the third edition of the event. With Dhoni at the helm, they looked like a formidable side and defeated Afghanistan and South Africa in their first two matches of the group stage. It was all downhill from there as India lost to Australia, West Indies, and Sri Lanka to bow out.
2012 (Super 8): Once again, the former champions made impressive an impressive start with convincing victories over Afghanistan and England in the first two group stage matches. But India again underperformed in the Super 8 stage as they lost to Australia. They did manage to beat Pakistan and South Africa though. However, an inferior net run-rate ended their semifinal hopes.
2014 (Runners-up): Fans were hoping that India will end their T20 World Cup title drought in this edition. And the team played like champions throughout the event. With several match-winners in the squad, they appeared head and shoulders above the rest. India made it to the final in style, defeating the likes of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia and South Africa. The team fell at the very last hurdle against Sri Lanka. In the summit clash, India batted first and could only manage to put up 130 runs on the board. The Sri Lankan team chased down the target easily to become champions for the first time.
2016 (Semi-finals): India hosted a T20 world cup for the first time. Several pundits backed India to triumph at home like they had done in the 2011 ICC ODI World Cup. India though made a poor start with a crushing defeat to New Zealand in the opening game. The side bounced back strongly and won every game thereafter to make it to the semis. In the semi-final against West Indies, India put up a challenging total of 192 on the board. However, Dhoni was let down by his bowlers as West Indies who became the champions went on to chase the target.
2021 (Super 12): India were the host but due to the covid pandemic situation at home, the event was shifted to the UAE. Virat Kohli was leading India for the first time at the T20 World Cup. The Indian squad had several big hitters and expectations from the team were high. India though had a forgettable outing in the tournament as they lost against arch-rivals Pakistan for the first time in a world cup. The Kiwis then steamrolled Kohli and Co in their next match to send them home from the group stage itself.
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