Revisiting India's T20 World Cup 2010 campaign in the Caribbean
Team India will begin their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign with a match against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 5. They will subsequently take on arch-rivals Pakistan in New York on June 9 and the United States at the same venue on June 12. Their last league match will be against Canada in Lauderhill, Florida, on June 15.
The upcoming T20 World Cup, which features a total of 20 teams, is being held in the West Indies and the USA, with the Men in Blue being touted among the favorites to clinch the coveted trophy. Team India had won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup that was played in South Africa, beating Pakistan in a thrilling final in Johannesburg.
India were also considered among the stronger sides when the ICC event was last held in the Caribbean back in 2010. As the Men in Blue prepare for the upcoming edition in the West Indies and the USA, we look back at how they performed during the 2010 T20 World Cup in the West Indies.
Team India won both their matches in the group stage of the 2010 T20 World Cup
Team India were placed in Group C during the 2010 T20 World Cup along with South Africa and Afghanistan. They won both their matches in Group C, beating the Proteas by 14 runs at Gros Islet and Afghanistan by seven wickets in a match played at the same venue.
India batted first against South Africa after losing the toss and put up 186-5 on the board. Suresh Raina excelled for the Men in Blue with the willow, hammering 101 off 60 balls, hitting nine fours and five sixes. Jacques Kallis hit 73 off 54 in response, but the Proteas were held to 172-5.
In the match against Afghanistan, India bowled first after winning the toss and held the opposition to 115-8. Ashish Nehra starred for the Men in Blue with 3-19, while Praveen Kumar claimed 2-14. Murali Vijay top-scored with 48 off 46 as India chased down the target in 14.5 overs.
India crashed out of 2010 T20 World Cup with three defeats in Super 8 round
While India won both the matches in Group C, they were disastrous in the Super 8 round, losing all three matches to crash out of the 2010 T20 World Cup. Led by MS Dhoni, the Men in Blue went down to Australia by 49 runs in Barbados, hosts West Indies by 14 runs at the same venue and to Sri Lanka by five wickets at Gros Islet.
India won the toss and elected to field first against Australia in their first Super 8 match at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. The Aussies put up 184-5 on the board as David Warner top-scored with 72 off 42, while Shane Watson contributed 54 off 32.
For the Men in Blue, Nehra and Yuvraj Singh picked up two wickets each. In the chase, Team India were bowled out for a mere 135 in 17.4 overs despite Rohit Sharma's unbeaten 79 off 46 balls, which featured four fours and six sixes. No other India batter, however, even contributed 20 as Dirk Nannes and Shaun Tait claimed three scalps each.
India again bowled first after winning the toss against West Indies in Barbados in their second Super 8 match of the 2010 T20 World Cup. Left-arm pacer Nehra again starred with 3-35, but Chris Gayle's 98 off 66 balls, which featured five fours and seven sixes, lifted the Caribbean side to a competitive 169-6.
In the chase, India were held to 155-9 as none of their batters came up with a significant contribution. Raina top-scored with 32, while skipper Dhoni contributed 29 off 18. For West Indies, Kemar Roach picked up two wickets, while six other bowlers chipped in with one wicket each.
The Men in Blue suffered their third consecutive loss in the 2010 T20 World Cup when they went down to Sri Lanka in St. Lucia. This time India batted first after winning the toss and put up 163-5 on the board. Raina, yet again, top-scored with 63 off 47 balls, while opener Gautam Gambhir contributed 41 off 32. For Sri Lanka, Thilan Thushara and Lasith Malinga picked up two wickets each.
India failed to defend a target of 164 as a number of Sri Lankan batsmen came up with crucial contributions. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara led the way with 46 off 33, while Angelo Mathews scored 46 off 37 and Tillakaratne Dilshan 33 off 26. The match came down to the last ball, but Chamara Kapugedera (37* off 16) hammered Nehra for a famous six to clinch victory for Sri Lanka.
With only two wins from five matches, India had a forgettable 2010 T20 World Cup campaign in the Caribbean. They will be hoping to create much better memories during the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.