Since winning the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, India have established themselves as one of the format’s dominant teams. With the help of the Indian T20 League, India have been able to produce some of the finest batsmen in the shortest format of the game. The Men in Blue have been able to cross the 200-run mark a record 25 times in 194 T20I fixtures. Most of these scores have been done in the last six years when two of India’s giants – Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – were at the peak of their careers.
Let’s take a look at Team India’s top five highest totals in T20 Internationals:
#5: 228/5 vs Sri Lanka, 2023
India started the new year on the right note with a comprehensive series win over Sri Lanka, with Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel shining for India. The three-match T20I series was level at 1-1 as both sides entered into the third game at Rajkot. India’s captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bat first.
India lost opener Ishan Kishan in the first over, but Rahul Tripathi and Shubhman Gill built a solid platform for the Men in Blue in the powerplay. Suryakumar Yadav then put on a magnificent display with the bat, scoring his third international century in the format and taking India to 228/5. Sri Lanka could not imitate the Indian batsmen later on, with the visitors getting all-out for just 137 runs to give India their first series victory of the year.
#4: 237/3 vs South Africa, 2022
South Africa’s tour of India right before the T20 World Cup in 2022 saw India register 2-1 series wins in both the T20 and ODI series. In preparation for the T20 World Cup, Indian selectors fielded a full-fledged squad for the series. South Africa won the toss and elected to field first at Guwahati. India’s skipper Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul gave the Men in Blue a terrific start, putting on a 96-run partnership for the first wicket.
Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav then joined the party, with the latter scoring a blistering 61 runs in just 22 balls. Dinesh Karthik scored 16 runs off the final over, taking India to their fourth-highest total in T20Is. South Africa were equally aggressive in their innings, with David Miller scoring a century to take South Africa close to winning the game. However, the visitors fell short by 16 runs at the end, giving India the series victory.
#3: 240/3 vs West Indies, 2019
West Indies toured India for a three-match T20I and ODI series in December 2019, right before the pandemic forced a widespread cancellation of cricket around the world. The series was level at 1-1 going into the third T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. West Indies won the toss and elected to field first. However, India’s openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul soon made the visitors regret their decision.
The duo put on a 135-run partnership for the first wicket, with Rohit Sharma scoring at a strike rate of 208.82 in the innings. While the decision to send Rishabh Pant in for the first wicket backfired on India, skipper Virat Kohli put on a magnificent 70-run knock in just 29 balls – scoring seven 6s in his short innings.
While West Indies could not replicate India’s scorecard, Shimron Hetmyer and Kieron Pollard scored eleven 6s between them to keep the crowd excited in the stadium.
#2: 244/4 vs West Indies, 2016
In one of the most thrilling games in the history of the format, India fell short by just one run despite scoring 244 runs against West Indies at Lauderhill. India elected to field first, and the hosts started their explosive innings from the very first over. The Windies’ openers, Johnson Charles and Evin Lewis, put on a 126-run partnership for the first wicket, with Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell adding to the score in the final overs with quick runs.
In reply, India lost opener Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli early in the innings. But Rohit Sharma was joined by KL Rahul to keep India in the hunt, with the latter scoring a 51-ball 110 innings to take India close to victory. India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni also played his trademark cameo, scoring 43 runs off 25 balls. But the true hero of the match was Dwayne Bravo, who defended seven runs off the last over to give West Indies the victory.
#1: 260/5 vs Sri Lanka, 2017
India’s highest total in the format came against their southern neighbours Sri Lanka in 2017. Sri Lanka won the toss in Indore and elected to field first, despite failing to contain India in similar circumstances earlier in the series.
India’s openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul once again displayed their magic with the bat, putting on a 165-run partnership for the first wicket in just 12 overs. The Hitman in particular was outstanding during the night, scoring twelve 4s and ten 6s to score a century in just 35 balls – claiming the record for the fastest century in the format. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s quick knock of 28 took India to their record-high total of 260/5.
The visitors looked solid until the fall of the second wicket, with Upul Tharanga and Kusal Perera putting on a century partnership. But once the duo fell, India’s bowlers quickly pierced through Sri Lanka’s lower order to give India a comprehensive series victory.
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