5 highest partnerships in men's T20I for India ft. Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh
Team India emerged victorious in a nail-biting double Super Over contest against Afghanistan on Wednesday, January 17. The hosts somehow managed to sneak a win to clinch the series with a 3-0 scoreline.
As India batted first, they made 212 in the first innings before Afghanistan matched the score, thanks to all of their top-order batters contributing. The Super Over also saw both teams score equal (16) runs. Then, Ravi Bishnoi defended 11 runs in the second Super Over to win the game for India.
While the highly entertaining encounter saw numerous records getting broken, one of them was the highest partnership score by an Indian pair in T20Is.
Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh were the best batters on show as their 190-run partnership stood tall in the game. Both remained unbeaten till the end and scored their respective highest individual T20I scores. While Rohit hammered 121*, Rinku smashed a 39-ball 69*.
On that note, let's take a look at the top five highest partnerships in men's T20I for India.
#5 160 runs - Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma vs Ireland (2018)
Before their all-format two-month tour to England in 2018, India faced Ireland in a two-game T20I series in Dublin. Led by skipper Virat Kohli, India fielded their strongest XI against the Irish team.
After being put to bat first in the first T20I, Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan gave their side a blazing start. While Rohit took his time to settle in, Dhawan imposed himself right from the beginning.
Soon after, Rohit also joined the party and the two veterans completed their century partnership in the 11th over. Both the batters hit five sixes each in their innings, with Dhawan scoring 74 runs. Rohit, however, agonizingly missed his century by just three runs when he got out in the last over. On the back of two striking innings by Rohit and Dhawan, India registered a massive 208-5 on the board.
It proved to be an arduous task for the Irish batters as Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav spun a web around them. The spin twins shared seven wickets between them as India won the game by 76 runs.
#4 165 runs - Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill vs West Indies (2023)
From two veterans to two of India's brightest young talents, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, the young batting pair, shone in a T20I against the West Indies in 2023.
In a must-win game for India in Lauderhill, Florida, Jaiswal and Gill took on the Windies attack and won the game for their nation. Chasing 179, the two made a mockery of the target and helped India win the game with three overs to spare.
Jaiswal set the tone by hitting a boundary off the very first ball of the innings and unleashed himself inside the powerplay. Gill, on the other hand, was a bit watchful as he was coming out of a lean patch in the format.
The openers continued to score runs at a brisk rate and brought up the century partnership in the tenth over. In the 11th over, both the batters scored their respective half-centuries. The West Indies bowlers looked clueless against the onslaught as the duo added 165 runs for the opening wicket before Gill was dismissed for 77.
Jaiswal remained unbeaten at 84 and struck 11 fours and three maximums during his stay.
#3 165 - Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul vs Sri Lanka (2017)
One of the most freakish innings for India in international cricket came off Rohit Sharma's bat when he bludgeoned 118 runs in 43 balls against Sri Lanka.
After three Tests and as many ODIs, the two teams were set to battle in a 3-match T20I series. India won the first T20I comprehensively in Cuttack. In search of the series win, India batted first in the second T20I in Indore.
The Indian openers, Rohit and KL Rahul, stepped onto the field and wreaked havoc at the Holkar Stadium. The two were involved in a historic 165-run stand. While Rahul, who scored 89 off 49 was impressive, Rohit was batting at a different level altogether.
Both the batters came out all guns blazing on a batting-friendly Indore pitch. Rohit, in particular, batted at a massive strike rate of 274.42 and reached his century in just 35 balls - the joint-fastest by any full-member team player in T20Is.
Rahul, who had a fifty in the previous match, also smashed five boundaries and eight lusty maximums. In total, both batters scored a combined 207 runs in only 92 balls.
Their 165-run stand is India's joint-highest opening stand in T20 internationals.
#2 176 runs - Sanju Samson and Deepak Hooda vs Ireland (2022)
Another Indian pair that piled up huge runs against Ireland is Sanju Samson and Deepak Hooda. The two had a blast in the first T20I in Dublin in June 2022.
After the early dismissal of Ishan Kishan (3) in the third over, Deepak Hooda and Sanju Samson stitched a match-winning partnership of 176 runs.
Once Samson and Hooda got hold of the conditions, they aimed for the fence and it was raining fours and sixes. Samson brought up his maiden T20I half-century in the 13th over, while Hooda took only 27 balls to get his fifty.
Hooda converted his fifty into his maiden international century. Taking the Irish bowlers to the sword, both Samson and Hooda struck at a rate of around 183 and added 176 runs, which is the second-best for India in T20I history.
While the hosts did their best to come close to the target, India won the game by four runs in the end.
#1 190* runs - Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh vs Afghanistan (2024)
Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh are the latest entrants and the record holders for smashing the highest partnership for India, and also the highest for the fifth or lower wicket in T20I history.
In the aforementioned third T20I against Afghanistan, they dragged India from a precarious situation. The Men in Blue were reeling at 22/4 inside just 4.3 overs before Rohit and Rinku completely turned the game on its head by thwarting the Afghan bowlers.
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium's surface wasn't an easy track to bat on in the first half. Even Rohit struggled for timing initially. However, he continued his hunt for runs despite a collapse from the other end.
He was joined by Rinku inside the powerplay. While Rinku was a little judicious at the start, Rohit continued attacking the Afghans. At the 10-over mark, India were 61/4, after which the two batters simply exploded.
As many as 151 runs were scored in the last 60 balls of the innings, making Rohit the first-ever individual to hit five T20I hundreds. Both Rohit and Rinku, who are experts at clearing ropes at will, entertained the Bengaluru crowd and smoked a combined 14 sixes.
No Afghan bowler had an answer to the onslaught as the duo finished the innings with an unbeaten stand of 190 runs off only 93 balls. Their fabulous fifth-wicket partnership also became the highest non-opening stand in T20I history (among full members).