Team India at T20 Cricket World Cup

Team India's squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2016:

MS Dhoni (captain and wicket keeper), Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Shami, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Pawan Negi, Ashish Nehra, Hardik Pandya.

Team India is placed in Group 2 pitched against New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan and winner of Group A from the qualifiers. Watch T20 world cup 2016 live streaming and scores on HotStar mobile app. Enjoy live telecast of T20 world cup 2016 matches on Star Sports HD TV network in India.

Team India's performances in T20 Cricket World Cups

There was a lot of reluctance in the Indian cricket world to accept T20. While this format of cricket was marching ahead with glory, somewhere the significance of T20 cricket wasn't taking its effect in India. Thanks to T20 World Cup, it became so popular in India, that it also gave birth to the prestigious IPL! It was team India that lifted the first ever T20 World Cup trophy. 

Let us have a detailed look through all the T20 World Cup editions so far and how team India played in each of them!

India at 2007 T20 World Cup:
Led by MS Dhoni, the young Indian team looked pretty fresh at the inaugural ICC World Twenty20. The South African venues looked absolutely colourful and T20 cricket kept the enthusiasm up throughout the tournament. 

India was placed in Group D along with arch rivals Pakistan and Scotland. India's match against Scotland was abandoned while their match against Pakistan ended in a tie. But that wasn't it! The winner had to be decided by a bowl out! India had an upper hand in the bowl out over 3-0 which gave them two valuable points in the match. They finished at the top of Group D with three points.

India lost to New Zealand in the Super 8s. But later they won against South Africa and England. One of the biggest highlights of 2007 T20 World Cup was Yuvraj Singh's six sixes against England when he also scored fastest T20 fifty (12 balls). 

India defeated Australia in the semi-finals to Pakistan once again in the tournament. The final was a nail biter! India managed to score 157 for 5. Gambhir was the highest scorer with 75 runs in 54 balls. The score looked achievable but a batting collapse and wrong selection of shot from Misbah in the end costed Pakistan the T20 world cup. India won the final by 5 runs and lifted the first ever T20 World Cup trophy. Irfan Pathan was awarded Man of the Match in the finals.

India at 2009 T20 World Cup:

India, the defending champions, were placed with Bangladesh and Ireland in Group B. Two comfortable wins gave India a chance to play in the Super 8s. But this is where India's run in the 2009 T20 World Cup ended. They lost all the three matches in Super 8s (against West Indies, South Africa and hosts England). Runners last time, Pakistan went on to win the 2009 T20 World Cup.

India at 2010 T20 World Cup:
Playing in West Indies, team India were placed with South Africa and Afghanistan in Group C. Beating both the teams, India moved to the Super 8s. But this was another unfortunate outing for India, where they lost all the three matches in the Super 8s stage. They were beaten by West Indies, Australia and Sri Lanka. England lifted the trophy beating Australia in the finals at Kensington Oval in Barbados.

India at 2012 T20 World Cup:
T20 World Cup 2012 was hosted by Sri Lanka. India was placed in Group A with England and Afghanistan. India defeated Afghanistan by 23 runs and England by 90 runs. England were bowled out for 80 runs which is the lowest total by any test playing nation in T20 world cup history. India played three matches in Super 8s out which managed to win two matches. One against Pakistan and the other against South Africa. This wasn't enough for India as Pakistan and Australia qualified from their group with better net run rates. West Indies went on to be the winners of 2012 T20 World Cup beating hosts Sri Lanka in the finals at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

India at 2014 T20 World Cup:
This could be considered as the second best T20 World Cup outing for India. Starting with the Super 10 round, India played in Group 2 with West Indies, Australia, Pakistan and hosts Bangladesh. India did a splendid job by beating all the four teams in the group and advance to the knockout stage.

India defeated South Africa in the semi-finals at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Batting first South Africa scored 172 for 4. In reply, India chased the target with five balls to spare. 

Things didn't go well for India on 6th April 2014 when India faced Sri Lanka in the finals. India managed just 130 runs. Sri Lanka chased down the total in 17.5 overs and emerged as the T20 World Cup 2014 winners.     

2016 T20 World Cup to be played in India will give them the favourite spot. But that also adds on the pressure. This could easily be the last big outing for MS Dhoni. 
   

Team India's performances in Cricket World Cups

Indian cricket team has won two world cups so far. Kapil Dev's team defeated the mighty West Indies team in 1983 to lift their first ever world cup trophy. Later MS Dhoni's team defeated Sri Lanka in 2011 to clinch the second title for India.

Let us have a detailed look through all the World Cup editions so far!

India at 1975 Cricket World Cup:

Led by Venkataraghvan, Indian team was placed with England, New Zealand and East Africa in a group. Team india had a dismal performance with just one win out of three matches which resulted in an early elimination. Who can forget Sunil Gavaskar's super-slow batting display against England. Batting first England scored 334 runs in 60 overs. Controversy sneaked in as Gavaskar had a crawling mood with 36 runs from 174 balls. Isn't that a perfect chasing effort? India scored 132 runs in 60 overs and lost the match by 202 runs! West Indies were the champions in 1975 - they played five matches and won all!

India at 1979 Cricket World Cup:

Again led by the same skipper, India's performance was even worse as they couldn't win a single group match. To let you all know, India couldn't even score a total of 200 runs against England, Sri Lanka or New Zealand. Cricket fans hoped for a better performance from team India in the next edition. West Indies were again crowned World Champions with four wins and one match washed out.

India at 1983 Cricket World Cup:

Led by Kapil Dev, India performed above expectations this time. The team was grouped with strong West Indies, Australia and Zimbabwe. India played six group matches and won four! They surprised cricket world by beating West Indies in their first match. Later they lost the second group match against the same team. India won one and lost one match against Australia while defeated Zimbabwe in both the matches. India faced England in the semi-finals where they defeated the hosts by 6 wickets. In the grand final, India batted first and scored just 183 runs. Kapil Dev played with an unforgettable quote "If this is not a winning total, its definitely a fighting total". He proved it right as the team bowled West Indies out at 140. India were the winners this time winning six matches out of eight.

Kapil Dev with the World Cup in 1983 #India #Cricket pic.twitter.com/ZPiwED3ghQ
— Cricket Pictures (@CrickPics) June 21, 2013

India at 1987 Cricket World Cup:

A lot was expected from the defending champions especially because the event was held in India. The team led by Kapil Dev lost their first match against Australia just bye one run! India bounced back with five group wins after this. India topped the table but the campaign ended with a loss to England in the semi-finals. Australia won this edition of World Cup with seven wins out of eight matches. 

India at 1992 Cricket World Cup:

Touring Australia for any form of cricket hasn't been a pleasant experience for the Indian team. India played eight matches won two, lost five and one match was drawn. Pakistan defeated England in the finals to clinch the trophy. Pakistan won six and lost three matches in total.

India at 1996 Cricket World Cup:

This world cup was held in India, Srilanka and Pakistan. So certainly the expectations were high! India played seven matches in total; won four and lost three. They lost to Srilanka in the infamous semi-finals at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Srilanka lifted the trophy with eight wins in the whole tournament. Sachin Tendulkar sparkled with great batting display scoring a total of 523 runs at a eye-catching average of 87.16!

India at 1999 Cricket World Cup:

This world cup turned out to be a memorable event for India in terms of some good individual peroformances. Overall there was nothing great in terms of team performances. India played eight matches - won four lost four! They were eliminated in the Super 6 round. Australia clinched the trophy with seven wins out of nine matches they played. Indian batting trio of Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly made an absolute mark with their exceptional batting performances. Rahul Dravid topped the batting chart with 461 runs at an average of 65.85!

India at 2003 Cricket World Cup:

Sourav Ganguly as a captain brough a much needed aggression in the young Indian team. This was India's best world cup outing after the 1983 triumph. India played 11 matches and won nine! One of the heart-breaking losses came in the finals against Australia. Tendulkar grabbed 'Man of the Tournament' award with 673 mammoth runs! Australia won all their 11 matches to be crowned as World Champions again!

India at 2007 Cricket World Cup:

Shall we say Nightmarish? Yes, that describes India's campaign the best for this world cup. India pitches in with a very strong squad that comprised of Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Dhoni, Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Kumble, Sehwag and Zaheer Khan. But fortunes didn't favour this team. India played three matches and managed to win just one (that too against Bermuda). India's early exit was one of the reasons this world cup was termed as a flop show. Australia won all their 11 matches and they defeated Srilanka in the finals.

India at 2011 Cricket World Cup:

Indian team was in good form under the smart captaincy of MS Dhoni. India had a strong squad especially with the very fact that India co-hosted this world cup with Srilanka and Bangladesh. India played nine matches in total - won seven, lost one and tied one! MS Dhoni sealed World Cup win with a six at Wankhede Stadium on 2nd April 2011. Srilanka finished runners-up. Yuvraj Singh with 362 runs and 15 wickets was awarded Man of the Tournament.

Sketch of MS Dhoni with the World Cup trophy

India at 2015 Cricket World Cup:
Defending champions India had a lot to prove in this edition of the world cup. After facing a series of losses against Australia in a bilateral series, India couldn't do well in a tri-nation series that involved Australia and England. 

Fortunes changed for India in the world cup when they stayed unbeaten in Pool B. They played six matches and emerged as winners in all of them. The team looked absolutely comprehensive in all the wins. They defeated Pakistan by 76 runs, South Africa by 130 runs, UAE by 9 wickets, West Indies by 4 wickets, Ireland by 8 wickets and Zimbabwe by 6 wickets.

India faced Bangladesh in the quarter finals at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 19th March 2015. This was another easy win for India where they scored 302 batting first and bundled out Bangladesh for 193 runs.

India couldn't beat Australia in the semi-finals and they golden run in the Cricket World Cup 2015 came to an end. The defending champions were knocked out by hosts Australia on 26th March 2015 at Sydney Cricket Ground by 95 runs. Australia defeated New Zealand in the finals at the MCG to lift the trophy.