As the cricketing world embraced the newest format of the game in the mid-2000s, a traditionalist Indian cricket board maintained a studied distance from T20 cricket. By the time the maiden T20 World Cup arrived in 2007, Indian cricket was going through a churning. The big boys had suffered a humiliating first round exit from the 50-over World Cup and they decided to let this adventure (T20 World Cup), pass by.
A bunch of youngsters grabbed the opportunity and wrote their names in history books by winning the maiden title under the leadership of MS Dhoni, who was to take Indian cricket to heights it had never seen in the past. Since that miraculous triumph against Pakistan in the final, the Indian team has flattered to deceive several times in the ICC World Cup. A final appearance in 2014 and a semi-final finish at home in 2016 has been their best show after a bunch of disappointing tournaments in between.
Teams like West Indies and Pakistan have established themselves as the force to reckon with in this format but India has still managed to have a good record in T20Is, often considered the team’s weakest link.
If success is the yardstick then India have done far better than a lot of other top teams in the world. In terms of the record of Test playing nations in T20I cricket, Afghanistan top the list with the win percentage of 67.94. But one must take into account the fact that the Afghans have played the majority of their matches against weaker oppositions from the ICC’s Associate nations.
Among the top teams, India have the best win percentage with 63.75, having won 76 of the 123 matches they have played till date. Pakistan come a close second with 61.82 percent matches won, while the third spot goes to South Africa who have a win percentage of 60.08.
In terms of number of matches won, India’s 76 is second to Pakistan’s 90 triumphs.
West Indies, the only team to have won the ICC World Cup twice, have a win percentage in the mid-40s and are far from being a world beating side. In a format as fickle as T20, consistency is a good barometer to gauge a team’s performance over the years as it is very difficult to keep winning at a high rate in this format.
India have certainly excelled in doing so and this should serve as inspiration for Virat Kohli and his team as they look to begin their preparations for the big event next year with the home series against West Indies.
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