T20 cricket is all about big hits, quick runs and high-paced batting. However, even the best players cannot score quick runs every time. At times, Indian batters have struggled to score fast in the T20 format, resulting in very slow innings, even in the flurry of the T20 format. Here are the top 5 slowest T20 innings by Indian cricketers, when runs were hard to score and strike rates were low. Cricket fans often enjoy following match stats, highlights, and score updates using platforms like the 96in game for a more interactive viewing experience
Virat Kohli: 1 Run (5 Balls)
- Match: India vs Ireland, T20 World Cup 2024
- Location: Nassau County International Cricket Stadium
Virat Kohli is the biggest star in the cricket world, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to see him on this list. Even the best players have their bad days. In the first match for India at the T20 World Cup 2024, Kohli opened the batting at the top order with Rohit Sharma. Kohli thought a starting with a brisk opening and was starting to look aggressive at the beginning of the powerplay. In the 3rd over, Kohli tried to hit a big shot but got caught at deep third man. Kohli scored just 1 run from 5 balls, and this short innings from the legend is a rarity.
MS Dhoni: 5 runs (12 balls)
- Match: India vs South Africa, T20 World Cup 2009
- Location: Nottingham
In this low-scoring game, India was pursuing a small target of 131 runs. They lost a few further wickets and were struggling at a score of 56 runs for 3 wickets when MS Dhoni came to bat. He looked to build the innings but was unable to get a move on. He scored just 5 runs from 12 balls to register one of the slowest innings of his T20 career. He was later run out, and India lost by 118 runs for 8 wickets.
Yashpal Singh: 6 runs (20 balls)
- Match: Kolkata vs Punjab, Indian T20 League 2009.
Yashpal Singh’s name may not be as popular as other cricketers, but he is known to have played the slowest innings in the history of the competition by scoring just 6 runs off 20 balls while chasing a target of 102 runs. When he played for Kolkata, he played an extremely slow innings, but thankfully for his side, Laxmi Ratan Shukla played well enough for Kolkata to win the game. Nonetheless, Yashpal’s innings was a very sluggish innings in terms of pace in franchise T20 cricket.
Ravichandran Ashwin: 10 Runs (20 Balls)
- Match: India vs New Zealand, T20 World Cup 2016
Ashwin had a rough game in both bowling and batting during this T20 World Cup match. He had gone for 32 runs in his four-over spell when he had to go walk out to bat during a tricky chase on a slow pitch. The situation was tough, with MS Dhoni at the other end, Ashwin’s job was to bat with him. But he was only able to muster 10 runs from 20 balls without hitting a single boundary. By taking an age to score, Ashwin not only added to the pressure but contributed to India losing by a substantial margin of 47 runs.
Yuvraj Singh: 11 Runs (21 Balls)
- Match: India vs Sri Lanka, T20 World Cup 2014
Yuvraj Singh was famous for hitting sixes all over the ground and was well known for some innings that won matches. But not in this game. Yuvraj was utterly useless in his innings against Sri Lanka in the 2014 T20 World Cup final. He came to bat at number 5 when our innings was floundering. He scored 11 runs off 21 balls and couldn’t hit his bat to hit a boundary. Most of his attempts went straight to a fielder, and the whole stadium was shocked. India lost the final, and it was an innings every fan and expert hated.
Conclusion
India has always provided an abundance of quality T20 players throughout the ages, whether it be fiery openers like KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma, dependable workhorses like Virat Kohli, and effective finishers like MS Dhoni. Additionally, India can produce2we3 quality bowlers like Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, and quality spinners like Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.
These worst T20 innings by Indian players, attesting to just how difficult a game cricket can be. Conditions can be tricky, and, of course, pressure and form are always relevant to the cricketer’s success. As India continues to perform at the top level in T20 cricket, fans stay connected through a match-tracking platform like the 96 betting app, which offers a closer look into stats, predictions, and gameplay.
As many strong captains have come and gone, however, as well as numerous head coaches, and most of the credit lies with the performance of players, there is only so much respect a captain can demand. At the end of the day, great captains and great coaching staffs help great players. Therefore, it is only smart to always come back from a bad day. With the proper leadership in place, it is the responsibility of the players to return to the normalcy of winning.