India's 3 best low-scoring thrillers in T20Is
India managed to scrape through to a nervy six-wicket win in the low-scoring second T20I in Lucknow on Sunday, January 29. With the victory, the Men in Blue leveled the three-match series at 1-1, with the decider scheduled to be played in Ahmedabad on February 1.
After opting to bat first, New Zealand managed to score only 99/8 - their lowest-ever T20I total against the Men in Blue. The Kiwi batters just couldn't manage to negotiate the turn that was on offer with skipper Mitchell Santner top-scoring with a 23-ball 19*.
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bit.ly/INDvNZ-2023-2N….@surya_14kumar hits the winning runs as #TeamIndia secure a 6-wicket win in Lucknow & level the #INDvNZ T20I series 1️⃣-1️⃣
Scorecard ▶️ bit.ly/INDvNZ-2023-2N…
#INDvNZ | @mastercardindia https://t.co/onXTBVc2Wu
The target should've been a walk in the park for the hosts, but it turned out to be a tricky one as they needed 19.5 overs to chase it down.
Suryakumar Yadav was the only batter across both teams to breach the 20-run mark. He remained unbeaten at 26, alongside skipper Hardik Pandya (15*) and guided the hosts home with a winning boundary in the last over.
Despite its ebbs and flows, many fans labeled the game as a dull one as neither of the two teams could really manage to stake their claim in any phase.
However, the game is testament to the fact that T20I matches don't necessarily need to be high-scoring affairs to be tightly contested.
Let's take a look at three of the Men in Blues' best low-scoring thrillers in the shortest format of the game.
#3 India (118/8) vs South Africa (130/5), 2009 T20 World Cup
![South Africa v India - ICC Twenty20 World Cup Super Eights [Pic Credit: Getty Images]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/01/f093e-16750756611551-1920.jpg)
India had an awful title defense in the 2009 T20 World Cup in England as they failed to qualify for the semi-finals.
The Men in Blue lost all three of their Super eight matches, with their last defeat coming against South Africa in a low-scoring encounter.
After South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first, RP Singh removed Herschelle Gibbs (5) in the second over to set the tone for India.
The Greame Smith-led side lost wickets at regular intervals, with Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina picking up a wicket each. AB de Villiers (63) anchored the innings perfectly and stitched useful partnerships to take the Proteas to 130/5.
In the chase, Gautam Gambhir (21) and Rohit Sharma (29) got off to a brisk start with a 48-run partnership in 6.2 overs.
With only 83 needed in the last 13 overs, it was India's game to lose, and only a string of quick wickets would've brought the Proteas back into the reckoning.
That's exactly what transpired as Johan Botha (3/16) spun a web around the Indian batters in the middle phase of the innings and derailed the chase by picking up crucial wickets.
MS Dhoni's side could not recover and never gained momentum as they eventually reached only 118/8, falling 12 runs short. Dale Steyn (2/25) supported Botha in the bowling department.
#2 India (126/7) vs Australia (127/7), 2019
India are currently enjoying a dominant run, remaining unbeaten in their last 12 T20I assignments at home. Their last T20I series defeat at home came against Australia back in 2019.
The two-game rubber proved to be an exciting one for the fans as both fixtures went down to the wire, with the visitors emerging victorious in both.
The opening T20I in Vizag, in particular, was a humdinger of a contest. The Australians lost the plot from a position of strength but then stole the game from the jaws of defeat.
The Men in Blue could only muster a total of 126/7 in their 20 overs after opting to bat first. Opener KL Rahul started things in positive fashion and scored a well-made 50 off 36 balls.
However, Virat Kohli's wicket changed the complexion of the game as the hosts kept on giving away wickets.
India vs Australia 2019: Another T20I series loss for India; what worked and what didn't sportskeeda.com/amp/cricket/in… https://t.co/82FraIxuqd
The Men in Blue only managed a below-par score, with Nathan Coulter-Nile emerging as the pick of the bowlers for Australia with his 3/26.
The Aussies began really poorly in the chase as they were two down with just five runs on the board. But some exceptional hitting from Glenn Maxwell and D'arcy Short took their team to a winning position with an 84-run stand.
However, Maxwell's wicket in the 13th over titled the game in the hosts' favor. The Aussies looked like they were pressing the panic button as the following batters were sent back in succession and the runs dried up.
Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets and conceded just two runs in a perfect 19th over. With 14 runs needing in the last over, Pat Cummins and Jhye Richardson held their nerves and took their team home on the very last ball.
#1 India (85/5) vs Pakistan (83/10), 2016 Asia Cup
The low-scoring thriller between India and Pakistan in the 2016 edition of the Asia Cup is still vivid in fans' memories in their extensive chronicle of historic battles between the two arch-rivals.
In the swinging conditions in Dhaka, the Indian bowlers wreaked havoc and bundled Pakistan for just 83 in 17.3 overs. Hardik Pandya, in particular, thrived against the Pakistani batters as he finished the innings with a brilliant 3/8.
Barring Khurram Manzoor (10) and Sarfaraz Ahmed (25), no other Pakistani batter even reached double-digits and displayed one of their worst batting performances in the format.
#OnThisDay 2016 Asia Cup
Virat Kohli Scored 51 ball 49 against Pakistan.
Only twice Team India won a T20I Match after losing 3 wickets inside 25 runs & Virat Kohli was the Man
of the Match in BOTH!
49 v PAK, Asia Cup 2016
55* v PAK, T20 WC 2016
#ViratKohli The Saviour 🐐 https://t.co/c9td8Co1S6
What seemed like a small total was made to look enormous by Mohammed Amir, as he single-handedly reduced the Men in Blue to 3/8, accounting for the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina.
While Amir's breathtaking spell gave Pakistan a new life, Virat Kohli showed off his watertight technique to keep Amir and Co. at bay.
Under tremendous pressure, the Delhi batsman played some exquisite strokes and made 49 off 51 deliveries before being dismissed in the 15th over. By then, India had already sealed the deal, as MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh comfortably sealed the win with 27 balls to spare.