Two of the finest knocks played by Indian batters in the history of the T20 World Cup

As Team India brace themselves for the upcoming challenge against Ireland which will mark the opening chapter of the tournament for the Men in Blue in the 2024 T20 World Cup, a lot will rely on their top-order batters. With names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav, India will be hopeful of putting up some big scores on the cards.

With all of that being said, over the years, the Men in Blue have seen a string of scintillating showdowns from our batters which will remain etched in our memories forever. On the eve of India’s opening clash in the T20 World Cup 2024, here are our top two batting performances in the history of the tournament.

Suresh Raina – 101 (60) vs South Africa, ICC World Twenty20, 2010, Gros Islet

In what would remain as one of the finest encounters in the history of the tournament, Suresh Raina became the only centurion for India. India and South Africa were locked in a ferocious battle and the Men in Blue needed something special after they lost Murali Vijay and Dinesh Karthik early in the innings. Reeling at 32/2, it was Raina and Yuvraj Singh who completely changed the dynamics of the game. Raina played the aggressor, clobbering 101 from 60 balls, an innings that featured nine fours and five sixes.

Virat Kohli – 89* (47) vs West Indies, World T20, 2016, Wankhede

Albeit coming in a losing cause, Virat Kohli played one of the finest innings of the tournament that came on the back of a chase special against Australia in the last group-stage encounter which turned into another virtual semi-final for the hosts. After a fine start by the openers that saw Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane putting up an early show, VK walked out. Despite a slow start to the innings, Virat quickly picked up pace and played a crucial role in propelling the hosts to 192/2. He stayed unbeaten for 89, clubbing 11 fours and a six.