India-Pakistan T20 World Cup 2021 clash becomes most viewed T20I match in history
The India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2021 match, played in Dubai on October 24, is now the most viewed T20I match in history. Always viewed as the marquee clash of any ICC event, Pakistan thumped India by 10 wickets in a disappointingly one-sided encounter.
Irrespective of the result, the match broke viewership records in several regions. According to an official ICC release, the India-Pakistan encounter garnered “a record television reach of 167 million, and a record consumption of 15.9 billion minutes in India on the Star India Network.”
The previous most-viewed T20I match in history was the India vs West Indies semi-final game from the 2016 edition of the T20 World Cup held in India. The Men in Blue lost that game as well, with the West Indies gunning down a target of 193 with seven wickets in hand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Heartbreak for a billion Indians 💔
Pakistan have been ruthless and ended India's 12-match winning streak 😓
#India #Pakistan #INDvPAK #T20WorldCup https://t.co/jnvTTYdAag
The ICC also informed that the overall TV consumption for the entire T20 World Cup 2021 in India was recorded at 112 billion minutes despite India’s early exit from the tournament.
In the UK, viewership for the India vs Pakistan match grew by 60% on Sky UK, while the overall viewership went up by 7%. In Pakistan, there was a 7.3% growth in viewership compared to the 2016 edition.
Reacting to the impressive numbers, ICC CEO Geoff Allardice said:
“We are pleased with these outstanding global viewership numbers, that demonstrate the power of T20I cricket to attract a huge audience across the globe on linear and digital platforms.”
India failed to make the knockouts of the T20 World Cup 2021
Going into the T20 World Cup 2021 as one of the favorites, the Virat Kohli-led India failed to go beyond the Super 12 round. A jaded-looking Team India began the event in disastrous fashion as their unbeaten streak against Pakistan in World Cups ended with a 10-wicket thrashing. They then succumbed to an eight-wicket defeat against New Zealand.
Spirit of the game! 💙💚
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India won their remaining three games of the T20 World Cup 2021, against Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia. However, Pakistan and New Zealand progressed to the semi-finals, finishing as the top two teams in the group.
The T20 World Cup 2021 was Kohli’s last assignment as T20 captain and Ravi Shastri’s farewell series as head coach.