In Numbers: India Look to Improve Already Imposing T20 Record

India have played 110 T20Is and have won 69 and lost 37 to merit the best win-loss ratio in the history of the format. In terms of series (two or more matches), India have played 29, won 14, lost 8 and drawn 7. They not only comfortably have the best win-loss ratio but also the highest win+draw percentage amongst all major T20 teams.

Not surprisingly, India have the best collective batting average amongst all teams – of 28.74. They are followed by South Africa (25.84) and Australia (24.30). India’s batting strike rate (130.06) is also the second-highest only after Australia (132.81).

India have registered 7 hundreds – only New Zealand match them on this count but in 179 more batting innings. Again, no team has registered more fifties – 78. Pakistan have the same number but in 31 more matches.

In terms of bowling averages, India rank at Number 3 (23.81) behind Pakistan (22.02) and South Africa (22.56). In terms of strike rate, teams are closely stacked together and India rank at Number 5 – South Africa (17.7), Pakistan and Australia (18.6), New Zealand (18.7) and India (18.9). The Indian bowlers have taken 17 four-plus wicket hauls – joint second-highest along with South Africa. The Pakistani bowling unit has tallied 20 such hauls.

Rohit, Dhawan and Kohli amongst the highest scorers in the format

Rohit Sharma is the leading run-scorer for India in T20I cricket. His aggregate of 2237 runs in 82 innings places him at Number 3 in an all-time list behind Guptill (2272) and Shoaib Malik (2245). Virat Kohli follows at Number 4 with 2167 runs in 60 innings. The other Indians who have crossed 1000 runs in T20I cricket include Raina (1605), Dhoni (1487), Dhawan (1232) and Yuvraj Singh (1177).

In terms of batting averages (min. 500 runs), three Indians make it to the top-5 list. Kohli with an average of 49.25 follows Babar Azam (55.19). They are followed by Lokesh Rahul (43.44), Manish Pandey (41.38) and Finch (38.67).

Rahul is amongst the five best batsmen of all-time in terms of strike rate (min. runs 500 and average 25). With a strike rate of 148.38, he follows Evin Lewis (163.75), Colin Munro (161.82), Maxwell (156.57) and Finch (156.29). The other Indian batsmen who satisfy this criteria and have a strike rate of above 130 are Rohit (138.17), Yuvraj (136.38), Kohli (136.11), Raina (134.87) and Dhawan (132.90).

Rohit has scored 4 international hundreds in T20 cricket – the maximum by any player in the history of the format. Only two other Indian batsmen have T20I hundreds – Rahul (2) and Raina (1). Kohli has registered the maximum number of 50s in the format – 19.

Rohit has blasted 98 sixes in the format. Only Gayle and Guptill have more - 103 each. In terms of boundaries, Kohli with 218 follows Dilshan (223) and is succeeded by Mohammad Shahzad (also 218 but in 5 more innings), Rohit (201) and Guptill (200).

Kuldeep Yadav – the best strike rate in T20I history

Kuldeep Yadav has the best strike rate in the history of T20I cricket (min. 30 wickets). He picks a wicket less than every 2 overs – that is a sensational record!
His bowling average of 12.96 is also outstanding and the second-best in history only after Rashid Khan (12.40).

Interestingly, amongst pace bowlers, it was Ashish Nehra who had the best bowling strike rate for India. Bumrah, who has quickly jumped to Number two in the wickets column list for India, has the best bowling average amongst all Indian pacemen.

Chahal has three 4+ wickets in an innings – the maximum number for India.

For a minimum of 25 wickets, it was Harbhajan Singh who was the most restrictive bowler for India with an economy rate of 6.20. Amongst pace bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (6.73) has the best economy rate for India.

Big Tournaments

India have the second-best record in the World T20 in terms of win-loss ratio. They have played 33 matches and won 20, losing just 11. Their win-loss ratio of 1.818 is second only to Sri Lanka (22 wins and 12 losses in 35 matches).

India won the inaugural World T20 in South Africa in 2007, were runners-up in Bangladesh in 2014 and were the semi-finalists in the last edition in India in 2016.

As many as three Indians feature in the ten highest run-getters’ in World T20 list – Kohli with 777 runs in just 16 innings is at Number 4, Rohit with 673 at Number 6 and Yuvraj with 593 at Number 9.

Kohli’s numbers in World T20s are quite staggering. He has scored them at an average of 86.33 – not only is this the highest average (min. 10 innings) by far but there is a difference of almost 32 runs per dismissal between him and the batsman with the second-best average – Michael Hussey (54.62).

RP Singh has the best bowling average and strike rate for India (min. 10 wickets) in World T20 cricket – 13.28 and 12.4.

India – on a dream run since World T20 2016

India have the second-best win-loss ratio of 2.5 (played 37, won 25, lost 10) after Pakistan – 4.83 (played 35, won 29, lost 6) post the 2016 World T20 in India. There is a big gap between India and third-placed South Africa (win-loss ratio of 1.57).

Series-wise, India have won 9 of the 12 series they have played in this time-period. They have drawn 2 and lost just one solitary series to the West Indies in August, 2016 – that is how good they have been of late in the format.

In fact, they won 7 consecutive series till the 1-1 draw in Australia at the end of 2018. These include wins in South Africa and England.

As many as three Indian batsmen are amongst the five highest run-getters in the format in this period. If we take a product of average and strike rate, it is India’s top 4 which come out atop. India’s top-4 have also registered the maximum 100s (5) and fifties ( 25) during this period.

Rohit, Dhawan and Rahul have been in exceptional form in the last two to three years. Not only have they scored big but have also done so at a rapid rate.

It is not surprising then that India have registered 180-plus on 13 occasions in this period – only Pakistan match them on this count.

Chahal has been the second-highest wicket taker in the world in this period (44 wickets in 27 innings) after Rashid Khan (45 in 21). He has conceded 18.75 runs apiece and has an excellent strike rate of 14.3.

His numbers for India are only second to Kuldeep Yadav – who has picked 33 wickets in 17 innings at an exceptional average and strike rate of 12.96 and 11.5 in this period – the best figures again after Rashid Khan in this period.

Bumrah has been the pick of the Indian pace bowlers with an aggregate of 29 wickets in 24 innings. His economy rate of 6.85 runs per over makes him the most restrictive pace bowler in the world (min. 20 wickets) in this period.

Indian Records in T20I cricket

Highest Team Score: 260 for 5 vs Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017

Highest Win Margin: 143 runs vs Ireland in Dublin in 2018

Highest Individual Score: Rohit Sharma (118) vs Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017

Highest Partnership: Rohit Sharma and Lokesh Rahul (165) vs Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017

Highest Partnership Career Runs (WR): Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan (1383)

Best Bowling Figures in a Match: Yuzvendra Chahal (6-25) vs England in Bengaluru in 2017

Most Runs in a Calendar Year (WR): Shikhar Dhawan (689 runs in 17 innings in 2018)

Most Wickets in a Calendar Year (WR): Jasprit Bumrah (28 wickets in 21 matches) in 2016

Fastest 50 (WR): Yuvraj Singh (12 balls) vs England in Durban in 2007

Fastest 100 (Joint WR): Rohit Sharma (35 balls) vs Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017

Most Runs in an Over: Yuvraj Singh (36 – 6,6,6,6,6,6) vs Stuart Broad (England) in Durban in 2007

Note: WR = World Record