Top 3 biggest margin of victory by runs in T20Is among full members
India beat New Zealand by 168 runs in the third and final T20I in Ahmedabad on Wednesday to seal the series 2-1. The Men in Blue also registered the biggest margin of victory in terms of runs in a game between two full members in the format.
Riding on Shubman Gill's maiden T20I century and valuable contributions from Rahul Tripathi, Suryakumar Yadav and skipper Hardik Pandya, India posted 234 runs on the board after electing to bat first. The visitors were reduced to 7-4 in the chase, courtesy of some fine bowling by Pandya and Arshdeep Singh.
Umran Malik and Shivam Mavi also made merry as the Kiwis were bowled out for a paltry score of 66, handing India a come-from-behind series win.
Here, we look at the next three biggest wins in terms of margin runs in T20Is.
Top 3 biggest margin of victory by runs in T20Is
#1 India beat Ireland by 143 runs (2018)
In the second of two T20Is against Ireland in 2018, India thrashed the hosts by 143 runs. Ireland won the toss and elected to field first, after which India made 213 in the designated 20 overs. KL Rahul was the top scorer, as he made an explosive 70 runs from just 36 deliveries. Suresh Raina contributed 69 runs and the finishing touches were provided by Manish Pandey and Hardik Pandya.
Ireland's chase never really got going as they lost wickets at regular intervals, and the hosts were eventually shot out for a score of 70. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up three wickets each and were ably supported by Umesh Yadav, Siddharth Kaul and Pandya. KL Rahul was declared the player-of-the-match for his sensational knock.
#2 Pakistan beat West Indies by 143 runs (2018)
West Indies visited Pakistan in 2018 for a three-match T20I series and the first game proved to be a humiliating one for the visitors who were thumped by 143 runs. Batting first, the hosts made 203, following contributions from Fakhar Zaman, Hussain Talat, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik.
West Indies had a horror chase as they were bowled out for 60, their then-lowest total in T20Is. The bowling was good but it was really an abject display of batting and temperament. Mohammed Nawaz, Mohammad Amir, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shoaib Malik and Hussain Talat all had brilliant outings with the ball.
#3 England beat West Indies by 137 runs (2019)
Unfortunately, for West Indies and their fans, they feature on this list for a second time courtesy of their 137-run loss against England in a T20I in 2019. England made 182 runs, thanks to a superb 87 run knock by Sam Billings and a half-century by Joe Root. Fabian Allen was the best bowler for the West Indies as he returned figures of 2-29.
In response, West Indies failed to turn up as they put on a rather embarrassing display, eventually being bowled out for 45. Only two batters managed to get into double digits as the English bowlers tormented a lineup full of T20I stars. Chris Jordan was the pick of the bowlers as he returned phenomenal figures of 4-6. The other bowlers had brilliant outings as well, with Billings being adjudged as the player of the match.