5 T20 World Cup editions in which India were unbeaten in the group stage ft. 2024
With their final group game against Canada getting washed out due to persistent rain in Florida, India qualified for the super eights of the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup unscathed. They won their first three games against Ireland, Pakistan, and the USA to book a place in the next round.
While the Indian batting unit is yet to fire, the bowling department looks threatening and has the ability to dismantle any top class batting line-up, especially in helpful bowling conditions.
The pitches in New York were far from ideal, demonstrated by the fact that India’s 113-run chase against the USA was the highest successful chase at the Nassau County International Stadium.
India will now face Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Australia in the super eight stage on the 20th, 22nd and 24th of June, respectively.
Coming back to the group stages, this wasn't India's first unbeaten run in the first round. Here's a look at five T20 World Cup editions when India were unbeaten in the group stage:
# 1. T20 World Cup 2007
India’s only T20 World Cup title came back in 2007, in the first edition of the tournament. India were placed alongside Pakistan and Scotland in the group stages.
Their first match against Scotland was abandoned due to rain, which almost made their game against Pakistan a must-win one. In a nail-biting thriller, India managed to take the game to a bowl-out where they managed to hit the stumps thrice while Pakistan missed on all three occasions.
India posted an under-par score of 141, but an inspired bowling performance helped them restrict Pakistan to a stalemate before winning the bowl-out.
# 2. T20 World Cup 2009
India had a brilliant start to their title defence in 2009. Winning their matches against Bangladesh and Ireland, the Men in Blue sailed through to the next round with an unbeaten record, but lost all three matches in the next round to bow out of the tournament.
An impressive all-round performance against Bangladesh propelled them to a 25-run victory before recording a resounding eight-wicket victory against Ireland. India lost to South Africa, West Indies, and England in the next round, which crushed their hopes of defending the title.
# 3. T20 World Cup 2010
In the 2010 edition of the tournament in West Indies, India steamrolled their opposition in the group stage before faltering in the next round and didn't manage to go through to the knockout stage.
India started their campaign with a comfortable seven-wicket victory against Afghanistan before defeating South Africa in a thriller by 14 runs. Suresh Raina scored a brilliant century against the Proteas to lay the platform for a hard-fought win.
Despite the brilliant start to their campaign, the Men in Blue were blown away in the super eight stage, losing their matches against Australia, Sri Lanka, and West Indies.
# 4. T20 World Cup 2012
The Men in Blue got off to a terrific start in 2012, qualifying for the super eights unbeaten after beating Afghanistan and England quite comfortably in the group stage.
A 23-run win against Afghanistan was followed up by an utterly dominating performance against England. Defending a competitive score of 170, India bowled them out for just 80 runs to register a convincing 90-run victory.
The defeat against Australia in their opening super eight game cost them dearly, as despite winning their next two games against Pakistan and South Africa, India failed to go through to the playoffs.
# 5. T20 World Cup 2024
2024 is the fifth instance when the Men in Blue qualified for the super eights without dropping a game. They started their campaign against Ireland and romped home by eight wickets after a thoroughly professional bowling performance. Rohit Sharma scored an impressive half-century as India started their campaign with a resounding win.
The Men in Blue were in for a tough fight against their arch-rivals Pakistan. Having been bowled out for just 119, the bowlers produced a performance to remember as they restricted Pakistan to 113 to clinch a memorable six-run win.
They were tested against the USA, but managed to huff and puff their way to the target. Unfortunately, the wet conditions in Florida due to persistent rain forced the umpires to call the game against Canada off as the outfield conditions could have been dangerous for the players.