When T20I cricket first started, neither Indian players nor the BCCI found it appealing. Even though it was officially recognized for international games, it was seen more as a novelty. However, everything changed when India won the 2007 T20 World Cup. This victory revolutionized Indian cricket.
Yuvraj Singh hitting six sixes in an over against Stuart Broad highlighted the excitement of the format, and around this time, the idea of the IPL, a city-based franchise league by the BCCI, was being developed. Indian cricket soared to new heights when Sreesanth caught Misbah-ul-Haq, marking the rise of Dhoni as a cricket phenomenon.
Now, over 13 years later, T20I cricket has taken the world by storm, and India has become one of the top teams, with its players admired globally.
Here is a list of India’s top 10 match-winners in T20I cricket.
10. Ravichandran Ashwin
Even though he’s not playing for India’s short cricket matches anymore, Ashwin’s seven years of playing these matches show he deserves to be recognized. In the shorter T20 cricket games, he’s done really well, taking 52 wickets from 46 matches and keeping the other team from scoring too many points.
One of his best moments was when Sri Lanka came to play in India for three T20 matches. Ashwin played amazingly, taking nine wickets in total and only letting Sri Lanka score 82 points in one of the games.
Ashwin has played in three T20 World Cups for India since he started in 2010. Back when Dhoni was the captain, Ashwin was always the first choice for taking out important players. But he hasn’t played a T20 game for India since 2017, and it doesn’t seem like he’ll be picked again anytime soon.
9. Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal’s great performance in T20 cricket is a big reason why India has been so successful in this format. He is Virat Kohli’s main choice for attacking in the middle overs and has an impressive record. In his 45 T20 matches, Chahal has taken 59 wickets with an economy rate of 8.29.
Although Chahal hasn’t played in a T20 World Cup yet, his best performance was when he took 6 wickets in a crucial match against England in Bengaluru in 2017. He also took four wickets in back-to-back games against Sri Lanka in a home series, helping India win both matches by more than 70 runs.
As India prepares for the 2021 T20 World Cup at home, Chahal’s skills will be very important. His experience in the IPL will be a strong asset in helping India become champions again.
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8. Jasprit Bumrah
In just five years of playing international cricket, Jasprit Bumrah has become India’s top bowler and one of the best in limited-overs cricket. Right now, along with Virat Kohli, he is one of the most valuable players that the BCCI wants to protect.
In his 49 T20I matches, Bumrah has taken 59 wickets with an impressive economy rate of 6.67. His most notable performance was the second-last over against Bangladesh in the 2016 World T20 group stage. With Bangladesh needing only 17 runs from 12 balls and their two senior players on the field, Bumrah allowed just 6 runs, making it easier for Hardik Pandya to finish the game.
Currently, Bumrah is considered the best at bowling in the final overs. He is already a remarkable fast bowler for India, and by the time he retires, he is expected to be among the top three bowlers.
7. MS Dhoni
Since Dhoni took over in white-ball cricket, India’s success often depended on his ability to finish matches. Considered one of the best finishers ever, Dhoni consistently delivered in the lower-middle order, playing many crucial innings.
In T20 Internationals, Dhoni scored 1617 runs with an average of 37.60. He only scored over fifty twice: once against England in 2017, where he made 56 in a crucial match in Bengaluru, and the second time against South Africa in 2018, scoring an unbeaten 52 in a key partnership with Manish Pandey.
Dhoni’s success wasn’t just about finishing games; his sharp mind, exceptional captaincy, and excellent wicketkeeping skills made him one of India’s greatest match-winners.
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6. Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir has always been a key player for India in important matches. Whether it was the final of the 2007 World T20 or the 2011 World Cup final, he delivered crucial performances. In T20 Internationals, he scored 932 runs in 37 matches, including seven fifties.
In the 2007 T20 final, Gambhir scored 75 runs from 54 balls, helping India reach a competitive total of 157. He scored 227 runs in six matches in the 2011 World Cup, .
Gambhir’s style of play focused on hitting boundaries rather than sixes, leading him to accumulate 109 boundaries in his T20I career. He was known for his smooth batting, making him a great anchor when chasing a target or building a big first innings score.
5. KL Rahul
KL Rahul joined India’s limited-overs cricket team in 2016 and has become one of the most reliable and successful T20I players. His consistent performance earned him a permanent spot as an opening batsman. Rahul has impressive T20I stats: 45 matches, 1542 runs, 12 fifties, and 2 hundreds.
Rahul’s first hundred (110* against West Indies) was in a losing match, but it showed his potential. His second unbeaten hundred (101* against England in Manchester) was outstanding, especially as the target was only 160 runs.
Of his 12 T20I fifties, only five times has his strike rate been below 150. He averages 44 and is known for his ability to hit sixes, having hit 63 sixes so far.
4. Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina, often called an IPL hero or a “four hundred run bank,” was a unique player for India who could bat well in any position. His ability to counter-attack made him a serious match-winner.
Raina’s talent in T20 cricket was evident when he scored a brilliant 101 runs off 60 balls against South Africa. This century was impressive because he faced a tough bowling attack including Steyn, Morkel, and Kallis.
Another key performance was his unbeaten 49 runs in the third T20I against Australia, where he hit a four on the last ball to win the match. Overall, Raina scored 1604 runs in 78 T20I games, including five fifties and 58 sixes.
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3.Yuvraj Singh
You can’t talk about Indian cricket legends without mentioning this champion. Yuvraj Singh was the key player in India’s two ICC wins in 2007 and 2011 and is one of India’s greatest match-winners ever. In his T20I career for India, Yuvraj played 51 matches, scoring 1177 runs with 8 fifties and 74 sixes.
Yuvraj had an incredible performance in the 2007 T20 World Cup, and his most important match-winning innings came in that tournament. Though fans might argue, his best T20I innings was his 70 runs off 30 balls against Australia in the semi-final, rather than his explosive performance against England.
Almost 14 years ago, Yuvraj set a world record by hitting the fastest T20I fifty in just 12 balls against England, a record that still stands today despite the rise of T20I cricket.
2. Rohit Sharma
If you have any doubts about Rohit Sharma’s skill in T20s, remember that he’s the only T20I batsman right now who has scored four international T20I hundreds. He has an impressive T20I record with 2773 runs from 108 T20Is.
Although his first hundred against South Africa didn’t lead to a win, his other three hundreds have been crucial for victories. His third hundred against England (100*) in Bristol helped India win the series.
Despite his four hundreds and 21 fifties in T20Is, Rohit’s most important performance is still his match-winning score of 50* from 40 balls against South Africa in the 2007 World T20. While he has the most hundreds in T20Is, it will be interesting to see how many more he scores before he retires.
1. Virat Kohli
No wonder Virat Kohli is called the king of limited-overs cricket. He is still India’s best T20I batsman. Right now, he has an amazing T20I record with almost three thousand runs (2928) from 79 innings and an average of 50.48.
Virat has many match-winning performances in his exciting T20I career that spans over a decade. But his best, according to him, is his unbeaten 82 runs from 51 balls against Australia in the 2016 World T20 group match. Even though India lost to West Indies in the semi-final, Virat Kohli was named Player of the Tournament.
Another great performance was during India’s first-ever series clean sweep in Australia, where he scored 199 runs in three matches. Before his peak in 2016, he played an incredible knock of 72 runs from 44 balls against South Africa in the 2014 World T20 semi-final
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